November 4, 2024

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Rettinger Comments on Cheating for Inside Higher Ed Article

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Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger, who is director of Academic Integrity Programs at UMW, weighed in on an article in Inside Higher Ed entitled, “Shades of Gray on Student Cheating”:

When David Rettinger, president emeritus of the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI), looked over the Student Voice data, he was drawn to the numbers that showed how much students realize certain actions would be considered cheating. “Some of [the unacceptable responses] are a little lighter for sure, but students generally would describe these behaviors as unacceptable,” says Rettinger, a professor of psychological science and director of academic integrity programs at the University of Mary Washington. “Their institutions talk about these things, and students know what they’re supposed to do, yet students cheat a fair bit.”

He can imagine a stressed-out student saying, “I know it’s unacceptable, mostly I don’t do it, but in this situation I’m going to do something I generally don’t believe in.” Read more.

Rettinger discusses how colleges can contain cheating with Inside Higher Education

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Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger, director of Academic Integrity Programs at UMW, discussed how colleges can contain cheating with Inside Higher Education.

But cheaters are not the enemy, notes David Rettinger, president emeritus of the International Center for Academic Integrity. “Your data shows this as much as anything I’ve seen. Everyone has their price: stress, family pressure, time constraints. Everyone has a breaking point. Most students are able to reach that breaking point over the course of a semester,” says Rettinger, a professor of psychological science and director of academic integrity programs at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. Read more.

Rettinger Comments in USA Today Article on Ed Tech Platform Chegg

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Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger was interviewed in USA Today and on Yahoo.com for an article entitled, “Millions of college students use Chegg. Professors say it enables cheating – and possible blackmail.”

Company officials said they’re aware some students use its services to cheat but that Chegg works with universities to try to address the behavior. David Rettinger, a professor at the University of Mary Washington who studies academic dishonesty, said Chegg is notable for its transparency and willingness to work with academic institutions compared with other sites offering similar services. Read more.

Rettinger Discusses Grade Obsession, Cheating with Bakersfield.com

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Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger weighed in on a recent article on Bakersfield.com (California) on how focusing too much on grades can often lead to cheating.

It’s been a rough year for authentic learning. High school and college cheating levels are skyrocketing — or, at least, more professionals are looking for cheating and finding it. “I’ve seen 100-200% increases,” says psychology professor David Rettinger, who is director of academic integrity programs at the University of Mary Washington. “There are a lot more reports of student academic misconduct.”

This is not surprising. When students feel the odds are stacked against them, they do not respond with heartfelt engagement and honesty. “If students don’t think that it’s possible to learn something, or they think the situation is inherently unfair, they say, ‘Well, it’s not reasonable to expect me to do the work fairly because the situation is unfair,’” Rettinger says. Read more.

Rettinger Discusses Contract Cheating on CBS News

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Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger, who oversees Academic Integrity Programs at UMW, was interviewed by CBS News about the rise of contract cheating at colleges and universities, which has resulted in a billion dollar cheating industry based in Kenya, where American students are paying African students to do homework, write essays and in some cases, even complete degrees for them. Watch here.

Cheating American College Students Are Paying Kenyans to Complete Schoolwork That Is So Good Some Contractors Are Asked to ‘Dumb Down’ Their Work (Atlanta Black Star)

As online education grows, the business of cheating is booming (Wink News; Texas News Today)

Rettinger Discusses College Student Cheating on Brookings Podcast

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Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Academic Integrity Programs David Rettinger

Professor of Psychological Science David Rettinger, who is director of Academic Integrity Programs at UMW, participated in the Brookings Institute TechTank Podcast, discussing “How Universities Deal with Student Cheating?”

The COVID pandemic forced many schools and universities to remote education where students logged onto video calls for their classes. At one level, technology was helpful in giving students opportunities to continue learning despite being limited to their homes. Yet during the pandemic, there was a startling increase in the use of online monitoring software designed to prevent student cheating on exams. To discuss these issues, host Darrell West is joined by David Rettinger and Lindsey Barrett. David is a professor of psychological science and director of academic integrity programs at the University of Mary Washington. He also is the president emeritus of the International Center for Academic Integrity. Lindsey is the Fritz Family Fellow at Georgetown University Law Center and the author of a paper entitled “Rejecting Test Surveillance in Higher Education.” Listen here.