Title: Consequences of Academic Dishonesty
Course: Academic Integrity > Section: Pages You Can Show Students

Consequences of Academic Dishonesty

Cheating is not harmless, even if it is not caught. In fact, cheating that is not caught can still have adverse short- and long-term consequences on you as an individual and on society.

Some of the short-term consequences of cheating can include getting a zero on an assignment and/or failing a class, getting a mark on your permanent record, removal from a program, and expulsion from school. However, there are also other consequences to consider.

If you're caught cheating, consider the damage to your reputation. This can affect your long-term relationship with them, which can work against you later if you need a letter of recommendation. It also

One consequence of cheating is that it wastes your time and money. It may seem like cheating is a guarantee that your money is well-spent. After all, if you need good grades to graduate and get a good job, cheating may seem like a good way to get those grades. However, cheating now means you may not be well-prepared for your career later, and that can affect whether you get promoted or not - or even fired.

It may also reflect poorly on your peers and your instructors. If our institution gains a reputation for graduating students who are ill-prepared for the workforce, companies will not be as likely to partner with NKU for future internships and co-ops, or hire from our graduate pool.

Even in an online class where you may never see your peers face-to-face, you are still part of a community of learners. Your actions can affect them as much as theirs can affect you because it creates an unfair advantage for the cheater. There is a common misconception that "everyone is doing it," but even if that were true, it doesn't make it any less harmful.

Think about it: do you want to be operated on by a doctor who cheated on their exams? Do you want a lawyer representing you in court that doesn't have a firm understanding of the law? Do you want to collaborate with a colleague who will lean on you to do all the work because they don't really have the skills they were hired for? Think about this: a colleague who plagiarizes or buys a paper online now will not hesitate to claim your work as their own later.

Another related myth is that having someone else write a paper for you is being resourceful. You're simply "outsourcing" the work, right? Not so much. By having someone else do the work, you are robbing yourself of the experience and skills to not only do the work well yourself, but to recognize when work is done well.

One of the far-reaching consequences of cheating comes in the form of monitoring tools. As students cheat, universities must invest money into tools that deter cheating. LockDown Browser, Turnitin, and other deterrent tools not only cost the university money to implement, but it has consequences in terms of the time your professors spend being required to look for cheating rather than teaching. Ask yourself how the university pays for those tools (hint: chances are, it's out of your pocket, either through tuition or taxes), and what that money could be better spent on.

That doesn't even get into the psychological consequences, which can include heightened anxiety while taking an exam - already a stressful situation - and issues of equity among students from different backgrounds. It also creates a falsely antagonistic relationship between you and your instructor. The fact is, your instructors don't want to be watching videos of you to try and catch you cheating. They would rather spend more of their time helping you learn. If you think about it, you are potentially being robbed of a better education because others have cheated.

As a student, you have the power to help break the cycle and uphold academic integrity for yourself and others - or to perpetuate the cycle of cheating. Which will you choose?

Below, consider some of the motivations that might cause you or other students to be dishonest. What are some of the consequences that could occur? What consequences have not been mentioned that students should consider before committing an act of academic dishonesty?