UC Davis Participates in National Survey on Cheating

UC Davis is hoping for some honest answers about cheating. The campus is one of 22 across the country to survey its students about cheating as part of a national organization's pilot project to foster academic integrity at U.S. colleges and universities. In addition to surveying 400 students, UC Davis also questioned 200 faculty and 25 administrators about student cheating. The Center for Academic Integrity will make the aggregate results of its survey public in December or January. Davis and 11 of the campuses also will evaluate center materials designed to help universities and colleges assess academic integrity on their campuses. Each year, the disciplinary office at UC Davis receives about 350 reports of academic misconduct, from the plagiarism of papers to examination fraud. About 70 percent result in discipline ranging from probation with community service to suspension or dismissal. Jeanne Wilson, director of Student Judicial Affairs and president of the Center for Academic Integrity, says Davis has a reputation for addressing the problem of cheating. She credits students' voluntary adherence to an honor code and, when cheating is suspected, the willingness of faculty members and students to report it. The recently released "Templeton Guide: Colleges that Encourage Character Development" recognized Student Judicial Affairs at UC Davis as one of 405 exemplary programs for the way it involves students as leaders in the disciplinary process and education.

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Julia Ann Easley, General news (emphasis: business, K-12 outreach, education, law, government and student affairs), 530-752-8248, jaeasley@ucdavis.edu

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