In this situation, does googling his homework questions constitute an Academic Integrity violation for Luke? Why or why not?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks whether googling his homework questions constitutes an Academic Integrity violation for Luke and asks us to justify the stance.
Option 1: 'Yes, it is considered cheating when students get the answer to any assignment or exam question from someone else.' This statement frames the issue as cheating whenever the answer is obtained from another person, which captures a common understanding of academic integrity violations when the student presents someone else’s work as their own. However, it’s important to differentiate between obtaining help and simply copying; if Luke uses online sources to learn and then produces his own work, many policies would permit it, provided he cites sources and does not plagiarize. The core idea here is that turning in someone else’s exact answers or presenting work not your own is problematic.
Option 2: 'No, Luke’s professor never said anything about online sources.' This option relies on the absence of explicit instruction to conclude there is no violation. Misconception: integrity policies are not limited to what a teacher has verbalized; universities often have formal policies regarding plagiarism, cheating, and appropriate use of external resources that apply regardless of whether the instructor mentioned online sources.
Option 3: 'No, as long as Luke is not caught, everything is fine. It’s just a homework assignment.' This is a faulty rationale because integrity violations are not about being caught; they concern the nature of the act. Many institutions treat the act itself as a violation irrespective of detection, and the mere intent to deceive or present someone else’s work as one’s own can be a violation.
Option 4: 'No, since Luke is just trying to learn the concept better and do well in the class.' This option confuses legitimate learning strategies with violating rules. Seeking to understand concepts is encouraged, but copying answers from online sources without proper attribution or using them to submit work as if it were Luke’s own undermines academic integrity and is typically disallowed.
In summary, the most defensible view aligned with standard academic integrity principles is that simply obtaining answers from online sources can be a violation if Luke’s submission would misrepresent his own work or rely on unattributed third-party content. The other options risk oversimplifying, ignoring policy frameworks, or endorsing behavior that institutions generally discourage.

AITUT_AY2526_TUT4 Scenario | Luke's Googling Adventure

In this situation, does googling his homework questions constitute an Academic Integrity violation for Luke? Why or why not?

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