Cheating: obtaining or attempting to obtain, or aiding another to obtain credit for work, or any improvement in evaluation of performance, by any dishonest or deceptive means. Cheating isn’t just some modern scandal. Cheating is not some current wrongdoing. Whether it be athletic scandals in the ancient times of Plato and Sparta, the late 1900s baseball steroid era, or today in workplaces, relationships, and sports, the scandals are still persistent. But, cheating in schools has been overlooked and pushed aside the most out of all of these instances.

The academic pressure put on students by teachers, parents, and peers has been one of the key factors of academic dishonesty. Strict deadlines, lengthy essays, and pop quizzes all make the urge to cheat even greater, putting their grade point average (GPA) over learning and cheating one of the only options for many. The consequences of cheating depend on the teacher. Whether that be a redo of the project, an assignment with a maximum grade they can receive, or a zero with a detention, a meeting with your principal, and “Academic dishonesty” and ultimately ending up on the student’s transcript for colleges to see.

Out of high school pressures such as scholarships, and the tedious college admissions board are some of the other factors that “urge” students to cheat their way into getting into their dream college. The growing popularity of AI in schools has significantly changed the playing field for the college and universities’ admissions process. Similarly, with the uprise of cheating on homework assignments and tests, AI detectors are now a necessity in schools.

Cheating on assignments and tests can be a total gamble with one of the short-term benefits being a higher grade, while the consequence can be not comprehending the material. The repetitive nature of cheating can make the justification for cheating easier later in life, whether that be in the workplace or a relationship.

Technology now can seem like the “enemy” of our learning environments, restricting learning from students; however, AI can be good and bad, it just needs to be used with the right discretion.

As much as teachers stress the importance of not cheating, a lot of it is out of the teachers’ control. To help reduce cheating, schools should promote collaboration rather than competition. Schools should also limit big tests and quizzes and implement real-world projects, so teachers can easily gauge how well their students understand the material and so students can have a “why?” to their assignments, ultimately reducing cheating as a whole.