Student Blog: More Than Survive: Academic Integrity

The concept of academic honesty and integrity have shifted a lot over the years - our parents' teachers had to worry about them looking at other students' papers, while ours are up against Google, SparkNotes, and ChatGPT. With the access to answers and media we have nowadays, it can be hard to stay honest when it comes to academics- especially with the common fear of failing a class. However, there are lots of reasons and ways to stay in the clear when it comes to academic integrity and submitting honest, authentic work!

As a teachers kid, I've had messaging about staying academically honest all my life. But even still, the temptation is understandable, especially in times where online classes are still prominent in schools post COVID. As a theatre student, this temptation can come out for cheating on or skipping work altogether for gen ed classes that may feel unimportant to your major. But at the end of the day- you still have to take them, and might as well get the most of them while you do! Instead of focusing on annoyances or hardships of these types of classes, I try to think about how the skills taught could help me in my daily life or career moving forwards. Along with that, I really think it's important to practice the mindset of wanting to improve on the material over just getting a good grade.

If you're insecure about your understanding of the material in a class, it makes sense to just want to pass it, even if it means just looking up the answer opposed to doing the work out yourself- but there's a lot of value in taking the long way. Doing work out yourself instead of shortcutting it by looking things up will help you gain a genuine understanding of the coursework, and not just pass the class, but also improve on the material. This can be a hard process, especially if the work is especially tricky, but if you need extra assistance, ask the teacher for help! They want you to succeed, and seeking extra help will show them you care about the class. At the end of this process too, if you're able to figure out the work on your own or with help, you will feel more proud of yourself and fulfilled when you succeed! This is another way to build discipline and confidence as a student, which will help you overall with staying academically honest!

Maintaining your academic integrity can feel hard, but it's very important. Your overall confidence and sense of academic morals will improve as a student when you stay true to yourself when it comes to your work. Don't stress yourself out if it's difficult to break into a routine of getting all of your work done completely correct all the time; remember that asking for help and taking the time you need isn't always easy, but it's extremely beneficial! Keep up the good work and happy final weeks to those in school!