Some say there is a vast “cheating epidemic” in colleges today. Writing studies scholar and Miami University professor Elizabeth Wardle disagrees. Instead of putting all the focus – and the blame – on students, Wardle argues that the problem lies in colleges themselves: how they are staffed, how they are funded, and what they say their mission is.
- Wardle begins by summarizing a “they say”: to prevent students from cheating, teachers should require students to handwrite assignments in class (“blue book essays”) or give oral exams instead of written assignments. What do you think about this proposal? What are its benefits and drawbacks?
- Wardle gives a few reasons why she thinks “colleges are broken.” Name and briefly explain two of these reasons.
- Find a place where Wardle acknowledges a naysayer view. What is the naysayer argument? What points does Wardle concede? How does including this naysayer view help Wardle make a more persuasive argument?
- Wardle argues that colleges and universities are a “public good.” What does that mean? What is an argument against this stance?
- Watch this short video featuring Arthur C. Brooks, a Harvard University professor and expert on happiness. Do you agree or disagree (or both) with Brooks’ claim that college should teach students how to think? Reflect on your own higher education. Describe a course or assignment that taught you “how to think” (as Brooks says) or how to “innovate and solve hard problems” (as Wardle suggests).
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I believe what Elizabeth is saying that higher education is not focus deeper enough what students are contribute any longer, a lot of student letting AI do the work for them some students don’t put much efforts any longer into they studies and she also mention is not only the students faults some of the blame should go to the facilities also for not correcting or punish ,she suggested maybe if allowed hand writing composition or any sort of material it would best ,she also mention college are broken because they not making any effort to stop cheating.The naysayer it show that there’s a lot of dishonest not only in the individuals but also in the system it self.
Arthur C.Brooks ‘’stated that college should teach the students how to think not what to think ‘’
I do agree with him on this statement why do we go to college to think what we already know why we attending why not teach us how to develop how thinking skills instead of.
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I personally think giving students handwritten assignments so they don’t use AI would be beneficial because then students can’t copy and paste things from the internet and it could definitely help the problem by forcing the students to have to put in effort on assignments.
The author talks about how she thinks “colleges are broken” because teachers aren’t necessarily trying to stop students from cheating which causes students to keep doing it because they are getting away with it and think it’s okay to do when in reality it causes them to not succeed as well as they could if they paid more attention and did their own work.
I’m not exactly sure if this is considered a naysayer but something I noticed from the article was that the author talked about how class sizes should be smaller but the classes are only getting bigger. Having smaller class sizes would decrease the chance of students cheating because then teachers can pay more attention to the few students in their class rather than the whole room full of students.
I think what the author means by “public good” when it comes to college is that people with a higher education can thrive well and can get jobs that are needed in the world. People that don’t go to college and get a degree can still thrive if they choose to but a lot of jobs that are needed now days, need higher education so people that are willing to put the effort in to get that education will only help the country out and the more people push others to get a degree, the more good it does to the public as a whole. Jobs that don’t need higher education can still do good for the public but as long as you are educated on what you are doing and know how to properly do it, it doesn’t matter if you go to college or not. The more people in college cheat using AI, the less it’ll do good for the public because they won’t have all the knowledge they should’ve had, if they had paid attention more and done the work on their own.
I think the video brought up a lot of valid topics and one of the guys talked about how we’ve lost a lot of high education to wondering if those people will get a job or make money which shouldn’t be the case but everything has gone very downhill in terms of people having jobs and wanting to work to be successful in life. He also talked about how college should be about what humanity is all about, what will actually make you into a kind person who can lead others to a life of greater happiness, and how can you become a more tolerant individual in a pluralistic society, which in my eyes are all important things to know about and after learning how to do those things, society would be so much better and more enjoyable. I think college should teach you simple skills such as how to work with others, communicate, think independently and with peers but I feel like the only way to get the full effect of college and what it’s all about is for students to pay attention to the work and be disciplined if they are caught cheating. Not doing anything about that will only influence others around them to do it and then all students are cheating their way through a degree and at that point, they do not deserve the degree they are given because they didn’t put the work and effort into the assignments they turned in so once they get into the real world, they don’t fully know what they are doing which at this point, I would say is a problem in this generation.
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Elizabeth argues that higher education isn’t pushing students to engage deeply with their work anymore. She notes that many students now rely on AI, but she also believes colleges share the blame for not enforcing rules or preventing cheating. She suggests that more handwritten or in class assignments could help. Overall, she feels the system is “broken” because institutions aren’t doing enough to address dishonesty.
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I agree with the view that university education is supposed to be focused on cultivating the thinking and problem-solving abilities of students. At present, the universities should not only be places for knowledge transmission, but instead, the main role of universities should provide thinking training. As Brooks said, one of the main missions of universities is to teach students how to think. This kind of thinking is a process of critically analyzing problems and having independent opinions. It is also proposed that universities should encourage students to innovate and solve problems. This is consistent with teaching students how to think, because innovation can be attributed to exploring new perspectives, and all of this is dependent on the significant thinking abilities as support.
In addition, the university is a paramount period for students to move from dependence to independence. Critical thinking training can help students to have a comprehensive framework for problems, enhance logical reasoning, and therefore can be able to quickly find solutions when facing challenges. It is worth mentioning that, apart from indispensable for the personal career development, the abilities are also important for social innovation. Moreover, when students learn how to think, they will also better understand how to learn, as the consequence of which, the students can strive for adapting to the rapidly changing world. Therefore, if university education can focus on enhancing students’ thinking abilities, it will lay a solid foundation for the future success. This can make contributions to making the universities truly become the locations that can enhance the wisdom of the students, instead of being the places that only strive for academic qualifications. I am firmly convinced that through the thinking training during the university, students will be better able to face the wide range of significant challenges in the future and become the talents with independent thinking abilities.
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After reading the discussion by Wardle, I supported her claim about the need for colleges to give more attention to developing students’ thinking rather than to providing them with knowledge to remember. Now people have access to information within seconds using search engines or artificial intelligence. Therefore, the most important thing that a university can teach its students is how to analyze, question and problem-solve independently.
Another interesting point raised by Wardle was that the institution should examine itself and not only blame students. It is always easier to accuse students of being too lazy or dishonest, but I believe there are much more factors involved. Students do different part-time jobs, have several courses at the same time, are concerned about their tuition fees, etc. Thus, when education turns into just obtaining good grades, some students become more interested in completing the assignments rather than getting actual knowledge. Along with setting stricter requirements, the college should wonder if their methods promote interest in studying among students.
On the other hand, I think that it would be wrong for students to shirk responsibility. Each student can choose to write his/her assignments honestly. It is okay for AI to be used in order to brainstorm ideas or check grammar but not for students to use it as an excuse for not studying. The thing is that even though a student will get good grades, he/she will be graduating without the required knowledge for life.
This article also made me think about my own classes. The courses I remember the most are not the ones where I memorized information for an exam. They are the classes where I had to discuss different opinions, explain my reasoning, and connect ideas to real situations. Those experiences helped me understand the material much better than simply studying for a test.
In summary, I believe that Wardle makes a valid observation. It is not only the task of students or lecturers to enhance education in colleges and universities. Cooperation between the two is necessary in order to foster an atmosphere that values knowledge over marks. If education stimulates curiosity over rote learning, students will be ready for work and life ahead.
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I agree that colleges need to examine their own problems instead of placing all the blame on students. Many people say that artificial intelligence has created a cheating epidemic and that instructors should respond with handwritten essays or oral examinations. Those ideas might make certain kinds of cheating more difficult, but I agree with Wardle that they do not address the reasons some students become disconnected from their education.
From my personal experience as a student, college can feel stressful because students must balance classes with work, family responsibilities, transportation, and financial pressure. Tuition, textbooks, housing, and other expenses can make it difficult to concentrate on learning. Some students have to work long hours just to remain enrolled. When students are exhausted or worried about money, they may focus on finishing assignments as quickly as possible instead of taking the time to understand the material. This does not excuse cheating, because students are still responsible for completing their work honestly. However, it shows that punishment alone will not fix the system.
I believe public higher education should be free or much more affordable. Education should provide people with opportunities instead of leaving them with years of debt. Some may argue that taxpayers should not have to pay for someone else’s college education. I understand that concern, but society benefits when people can become qualified nurses, teachers, engineers, counselors, and other professionals. An educated population can strengthen communities and the economy, which means higher education is not only a personal benefit.
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I agree with Wardle on the subject of colleges needing to change the rules as the world changes quickly, hence the discussion of AI. I think that the idea she has of professors offering handwritten assignments in order to preserve academic integrity is strong. Although skeptics might argue that there is still a high probability of cheating with the use of AI being a laptop away to copy off of. I still think that offering handwritten, in-class assignments is valuable. Additionally, this does not need to be an absolute, as teachers can view the student’s work in class and compare it to their online work to see if there are any discrepancies.
Her argument that universities have an equal responsibility is compelling when considering the fact that the student is usually blamed for being the issue in academia. I agree with her perspective that the quality of the material is highly imperative to the success of what the student turns in. I do not think that it would hurt for academics to change the frameworks around and focus on student-centered developments that offer insightful lessons which naturally engage critical thought and rhetoric.
When considering my own college experience, I have been lucky enough to connect with a multitude of professors who have challenged me to think outside of my own bubble, which is a valuable thing to have. I had a biology professor who graded harshly while simultaneously mentoring me in academic research that won peer-favorite at the sociology research competition in my college. I was even interviewed by the faculty from the sociology department for the school’s podcast since I introduced cross-disciplinary work thanks to his mentorship. All in all, without the quality education and support that I was provided, I would not have engaged with the material on the level that I did and stepped out of my comfort zone.
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