Preventing Academic Dishonesty...

On the heels of our experiences in the Grading Inferno, we are reminded of this very interesting article from UA about The importance of ethics education from October.

Author Emily Bell discusses teaching courses on ethics, and the broader life lessons that she's learned (and hopes her students have learned) from this experience. What is interesting to consider here is how the breaches in academic honesty and ethics in our university classrooms (I didn't mean to/ knwo I was plagiarizing, for instance) spring from the same sources unethical behaviour that occurs beyond academia.

In addition to Obedience to authority and Conformity bias, Bell notes the following factors that play into when and how people choose to act unethically:

• Rationalization and bias: We believe that we are more ethical than we actually are, and create rationalizations to explain any unethical behaviours. We believe that we are good people and this leads us to make ethical decisions rapidly.
• Time pressure: Unethical behaviours are more likely when we act under a time pressure.
• Fatigue: Unethical behaviours are more likely when we are fatigued.
• Lack of transparency: Unethical behaviours are more likely when we know that no one is watching.

We can see how and when students might test or breach the boundaries of ethical behaviour given these dimensions of our classrooms. For instance, time-pressure and fatigue are near constants during semester crunch-times.

Luckily, Bell also suggests how instructors might consider bringing a discussion of these factors into our teaching, by making room for students to reflect on ethical dilemmas and choices for action. These include a focus on learning objectives, critical reflection on ethically complex case-studies, making space and time for discussion, and encouraging "students to think about how these factors may be present in different contexts (for instance, in business, sports, or in different work environments)."

Check out Bell's article and related resources in the quick links and links to further reading on similar topics below:

• The importance of ethics education (October 2017, University Affairs)
• From anthro everywhere!
• Did I plagiarize? A flow chart (6 November 2017)
• Anthropological Ethics Outside Anthropology Classrooms (12 June 2017)
• Bullshit! Calling Bullshit in the Age of Big Data Syllabus (23 March 2017)

Inside the Grading Inferno

Like many teachers at this time of year, we are currently in the depths of what feels like 'the Grading Inferno' where there are many levels of punishment for our past deeds...or so it feels.

Below is PHDComic's version of Dante's Inferno for graduate students and postdocs:

The Academic Edition of Dante's Inferno (Jorge Cham 2015)

Our Grading Inferno might be described as more like: 

1. Post-grading haze
2. Office hours filled with students wanting to know how they can do better next time
3. Office hours (and emails) filled with students wanting to know how they arrived at the mark they did
4. Office hours filled with students who think something went wrong (with their assignment or the marking process) *levels 2 - 4 come from Menzies' 2015 blog post*
5. Carting home piles of papers from campus to home (only to cart them back again before end of term)
6. Scrolling through emails for students' work (for those who couldn't find the online dropbox)
7. Online learning management system woes
8. Emails from students (or calls from parents!) asking why they received the grade they did (or to argue about plagiarism or late penalties)
9. It's on the Syllabus...

How are practicing anthropologists and candidates experiencing their end-of-term? Tweet us @anthrolens (though we probably wont have time to respond because of the Grading Inferno...)

Quick Links:

• Jorge Cham's 2015 Dante's Inferno (Academic Version)
• Menzies' (2015) Grades: “In Full Honesty, My Paper Deserves A Better Grade.” on Anthropology @ UBC blog

Sample Boilerplate Language for Ethnographic Ethics Proposals

Blogger Jennifer Long has been spending lots of time (too much time) writing ethics proposals these days. However, many university-related ethics boards have very useful tips, tricks and resources to help researchers along.

So if it's your first or fortieth kick of the ethics proposal can, check out your institutions REB home page before pulling out your hair and throwing items across the room.

Although I'm not conducting ethnography at this time, McMaster's REB has an ethnographic boiler plate template for ethnographic studies. It's a useful document with tidbits such as these for the methods section:

This project will be based on standard methods of ethnographic research in the discipline of anthropology. Researchers in cultural anthropology (ethnographers) engage in participant observation, a fieldwork method based on social relationships between individuals and the ethnographer, in which the ethnographer assumes the position of a student or apprentice who learns through participating in everyday activities with community members and observing social life.  This participant observation component of my research is essential because it will provide the broad social and cultural context for my specific research questions that deal with [INSERT YOUR RESEARCH TOPIC HERE].

Following the general methodology of participant observation, this study will involve several specific tasks.  From approximately [INSERT DATE] to [INSERT DATE] I will reside in [INSERT LOCATION(S) ] where I will participate in many aspects of community life including [INSERT DETAILS].  
Because of my [INSERT DETAILS, IF APPLICABLE], I already know many people in [INSERT NAME OF LOCALITIES] and I expect that I will have no trouble integrating into the community.  I also plan to [INSERT DETAILS]. 

Follow the link in the Quick Links to see the whole document. Many thanks to its original authors from the Anthropology program at McMaster: Dr. Badone and Rebecca Plett.

Quick Links:

• Sample Boilerplate Wording for Ethnography, Badone and Plett (McMaster Research Ethics Board) 2013