This is a discussion of the Robert Sternberg essay, Slip-Sliding Away, Down the Ethical Slope, a critique of ethics in education. Here, Sternberg discusses the issue of cheating in university and the consequences it has on society. He states cheating isn't the only issue that universities need to face. How those who cheat act outside of the academic realm is also an important point.
Sternberg warns that if educational ethics aren't addressed in university, students who get into high jobs will have their careers marred by scandal. Their willingness to cheat could translate into significant consequences, including mismanagement and potential criminal action. Furthermore, we're setting ourselves up for many issues in society in the future. The current economic crisis that began in 2008 was cited as an example of the issues of ethics by educated people. In this case, investment bankers evaded securities laws in order
According to Sternberg, the issue for universities isn't plagiarism and exam snooping; it's student behaviour itself. Sternberg concludes that schools should not evaluate students solely on test scores. They should take a holistic approach to a student's behaviour. He suggests students should conduct a self-evaluation of their ethics. The current evaluation system for students in place isn't adequate as well. Determining a certain individual's intelligence on just their GPA isn't going to cut it, since it doesn't tell us how they will act, or if they even cheated. I agree, since some are going to be either devoted to or very lazy on their essays.
The University of Toronto has stated in its mission statement that it is devoted to challenging current viewpoints on issues and society. Maybe it should also start challenging its own evaluation of students. Rather than just put controls during exams, it should also inform students on ethics outside of academia and that unethical acts could bruise the university's international reputation.
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