An investigation into the effect of an institutional honor code policy on academic behavior (work in progress)

Abstract

Research indicates significant cheating at institutions of higher learning; however, evidence indicates that a well-designed and clearly-communicated campus honor code might have a mitigating effect. This is the impetus behind the implementation of an Academic Honor Code Policy at a private university beginning in the fall of 2004. This situation presented a unique opportunity to investigate the potential of an academic honor code to change the culture and behavior at a university. This investigation will involve conducting a longitudinal study on the academic habits of students as they progress through the curriculum and include students whose academic careers began under a different academic dishonesty policy. The presentation will describe the development and implementation of the honor code policy; details of the investigation including research questions being posed, survey development, and study protocols; and results from the first year of the study.