Cheating- Becca Raftery

Several points in the two articles really jumped out at me. Both articles discuss the idea of collaboration, and separately reflect on whether or not this is cheating, or at what point it becomes cheating. This idea was particularly interesting to me because it is something I have struggled with in my years as a student. While the McCabe article only touches on this idea, the Weldy article goes quite in depth with it. I have always, like Weldy, enjoyed editing friends’ papers, but I wondered how much I could do without it being considered cheating. I really enjoyed reading Weldy’s perspective, especially as a tutor.

The McCabe, Treviño & Butterfield article also mentions a motivation for cheating which I find especially important: the growing pressure to succeed which is placed on the student body, and the idea of “leveling the playing field”. On page 220 of the McCabe article, the authors mention that “students who might otherwise complete their work honestly observe [other students cheating] and convince themselves they cannot afford to be disadvantaged…” (McCabe, Treviño & Butterfield, 220). This is an idea that I can truly relate to, for I have had much experience with it, especially in high school. On several occasions, especially before the college acceptance process, I was in a difficult class with difficult exams where I knew—and I am convinced the teacher knew as well—that almost the entire class was cheating (by way of copying answers during tests). I was frustrated because I am not a dishonest person and never had the desire to cheat, but I definitely felt like it was unfair, and sometimes wished I could “level the playing field”. I really agree with the light that is shed on cheating in the McCabe article, especially this idea of “peer behavior” causing cheating.