Building a Culture of Academic Integrity Eileen Dwyer, John Morse, Diane Mulligan, Bill White
Our Thesis:
A reactive stance toward cheating in which those who are caught cheating are punished is not enough to create a culture of academic integrity. A true honor culture must come from and by reinforced by the students themselves. Thus, to build a culture of academic integrity, we must take a whole school approach that engages administration, faculty, and parents in helping students internalize a sense of honor. We can help students align their choices with their values by consistently rooting conversations about cheating in our mission and school values.
The Three E's of Academic Integrity
Enforcement - Have clear consequences for cheating and impose them consistently, while recognizing that this is only a way of treating the symptom
Engagement - Help teachers use practice practices in classroom management and assessment as preventative measures against cheating
Enculturation - Instill in students an internalized sense of honor and integrity that they value more than external markers of success, thereby treating the root cause of academic integrity
Teacher Role in a Whole-School Approach
Continue to take steps to “cheat proof” assignments
Develop good relationships / boys are relational learners
Be proactive in defining and discussing academic integrity and ground those conversations in mission language
Look for teachable moments and places to incorporate character education into the curriculum
Parent Role in a Whole-School Approach
Partner with teachers to support student learning
Focus on the process of learning
Value effort and progress over outcome
Administrative Role in a Whole-School Approach
Educate the faculty on best practices to build faculty buy-in for policies around cheating
Help faculty develop consistent mission-based language around issues of academic integrity
Be proactive in defining and discussing academic integrity and ground those conversations in mission language
Educate parents
Consistently hold students accountable for instances of cheating
Resources
Please visit this link to access articles that informed our research.
Book Recommendations
About Us
Eileen Dwyer
Eileen Dwyer has served as the Associate Director of Campus Ministry and a member of the Religious Studies Department at Saint John's High School since 2018. In this role, she coordinates the school's retreat and community service programs, as well as teaches religious studies courses, including Christian Life, a course that focuses on the skills students need to live out their faith and values as young adults. Prior to that, she was the School Culture and Academic Success Coordinator at Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School in Devens, MA, USA. Her 25-year career in education spans the classroom, administration, and educational publishing, but no matter her role, Eileen's focus remains on her students' social and emotional development. Eileen has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a concentration in Gender Studies from Davidson College and a Master's in Education from Boston College. She loves hanging out with her three teenage children, gardening, running and swimming, and baking.
John Morse
John Morse, Ph.D., `89, P'22 is an Assistant Principal for Academics at Saint John's High School in Shrewsbury, MA, USA, and a member of the Religious Studies Department. John graduated from St. Anselm College (1993) with a B.A. in Liberal Studies in the Great Books and completed a Ph.D. in Philosophy with a specialization in Virtue Ethics from Marquette University in 2003. Dr. Morse has spent the last 22 years at his high school alma mater in a variety of administrative roles, from admissions and marketing in his early years to overseeing the scheduling and grading systems, as well as curriculum development over the last seven years. As a classroom teacher, Dr. Morse's focus has been on the moral development of adolescents from a philosophical, psychological, and religious perspective with the goal of integrating self-reflection into practical decision-making. Outside the classroom, he enjoys running and mountain biking, coaching youth sports, volunteering for Special Olympics, and cooking for his large Italian extended family.
Diane Mulligan
Diane Mulligan has been a member of the English Department at Saint John's High School in Shrewsbury, MA, USA since 2002. In her years at Saint John's, she has taught the full spectrum of English classes and ability levels and recently completed a term as department chair. She is the Director of the Betty Curtis Worcester County Young Writers Conference at Saint John's High School and the author of three novels, most recently What She Inherits (2017), which received an Honorable Mention for Mainstream Fiction in the 25th Annual Writers' Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Diane earned a Bachelor's in American studies from Mount Holyoke College, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Simmons College, and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Lindenwood University. A lifelong learner and multi-passionate person, Diane has far too many hobbies ranging from rock climbing to playing guitar to urban sketching. Basically, she never sits still.
Bill White
Bill White received his Bachelor of Arts in Literature from the College of the Holy Cross and his Master of Arts in Literature from Worcester State University with a concentration on British Literature. Bill has taught Literature at Saint John's High School in Shrewsbury, MA, USA, since 2009 after retiring from a successful 20+ year career in banking. He is the incoming Department Chair for the 2024/2025 school year. Bill has done extensive post-graduate studies in British Literature with a concentration in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and has spent the past year researching AI and Academic Integrity in the classroom. In his personal life, Bill is a Music Director at his parish, an avid guitarist, kayaker, and grandfather--but he never does all at the same time.