Who is Cheating Whom?

Nearly every student has heard of plagiarism, which is copying another’s work without giving that person credit; but for anyone tempted to cut corners and cheat in that manner (someone unaware of Turnitin.com evidently), there is one important question to ask. Who is actually being cheated?

College students pay for their education. If they do not do the work assigned and do not learn what their instructors teach, what have they bought for their money? A degree?

The above answer does not suffice. If the student has gotten by and not gotten the education the degree represents, there is a good chance that jobs down the road might turn out to be short term. Employers hire those with qualifications, expecting them to know something or to be able to learn the skills required for the job. A student who has wasted college years by plagiarizing is likely to find a struggle ahead in any chosen career.

When students do not do their own work, they do not gain from their college classes. They do not learn the material, and they do not learn how to learn either.

If I decided to try a new surfing technique, what could I possibly accomplish by finding someone else to go through the trial and error of figuring out how it is done? The short answer is that I gain nothing at all. The same holds true for anyone who does not do whatever work is required to master a new skill or remember new information.

Happily, students here – even those who do know about Turnitin.com - are just too smart to waste their opportunities on plagiarism, which is a shortcut leading directly to a dead end. They value the time they spend on their education, knowing that when they do hold degrees in their hands, they will have earned them. When they go forward to their careers, they succeed because they have learned to learn and gained a good education by virtue of their own effort along the way.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!