How Do I Discuss Academic Integrity During the First Class?
You all have students who cheat in you classroom.
Should your primary response to classroom cheating be:
- Prevention
- Punishment
- Or Indifference?
In this Magna 20 Minute Mentor, Gary Pavela, J.D., of the University of Maryland, explores the recommended option of prevention for dealing with the thorny problem of academic dishonesty and provides targeted solutions to use as each semester begins.
As part of a developmental approach, you will learn:
- How you can take charge on the very first day of class to develop an appropriate atmosphere of academic integrity for all students and maintain it throughout your entire course
- The single best way for you to promote academic integrity
- The importance of having a clear, strong commitment to classroom ethics
- How effective teachers promote a climate of trust in the classroom
- The role of competency-based learning in preventing cheating
- The relationship between student engagement and academic integrity
At the conclusion of this professional development program, you will:
- Understand why reusing your old exams is a big mistake
- Have effective strategies for discouraging cheating on assignments
- Know the 20-60-20 Theory of cheating
- Appreciate the benefits of classroom honor codes
Supplemental materials: 11 pages including
- Research on cheating in high school and college
- Research supporting the use of classroom honor codes
- A focus on academic integrity and cultural diversity
- The development of moral qualities;
- Perspectives on the breakdown of trust in modern life
- Religious views on honesty and ethics, and more.

Meet Your Mentor:
![]() | Gary Pavela, J.D. |
- PDF Transcript
- Supplemental Materials
- PowerPoint Handouts
Make this program available for ongoing training
Order the Campus Access License and load the CD content onto your institution’s internal web site for unlimited, convenient, on-demand access for all members of your campus community.





