According to a recent report, cheating among college and university students is on the rise. However, Groveton College has successfully reduced student cheating by adopting an honor code, which calls for students to agree not to cheat in their academic en

In the context mentioned above, the author puts forward an argument that, every college and university must adopt honor codes to reduce cheating in examinations by the students. He assumes that the method is the main cause that has helped to decrease the cheating cases in Groveton College due to their honor code and thus it can be used globally to reduce cheating everywhere. The argument presented by the author seems logical but it has certain loopholes which can have a great effect on its validity.

Firstly, the honor code that the students of the college had to take, calls them to agree that they would notify the teachers and the authority, if they found someone cheating besides them. But the code being taken seriously by the students can be doubtful. No one will ever try to disclose one’s friend’s wrong affairs just as simply as this. Also during examinations the students seem to be focusing on their own papers, rather than looking around and finding the culprit ones. Thus many of the cases may not have been reported only.

Moreover, on the same grounds, the teachers are also to abide by the code to closely monitor the students and report the cases. The sincerity of teachers is also ambiguous. It may be so that the post procedure of the cheating cases may be very hectic and troublesome. Hence, teachers may simply avoid registering the cases. Also to protect the reputation of oneself and the college, many of the cases may simply be obscure.

Then the author states that in three years there have been decline in the number of cheating cases from thirty percent to fourteen percent in the span of six years. But the author does not show the similarities and differences between the situations then and now. It may be possible that the syllabus and the examination level must have become simpler, and hence there is no need of students needing to copy. Further, due to the increased reputation of the college, the number of intellectual and smart students may have increased that may have caused the decrease in the cases. Hence, it cannot be deduced simply that the honor code made the difference.

Thus the author fails to convince that honor code may be way to reduce cheating in exams and it should be adopted by the rest too. There are too many flaws that rife holes in the argument. So the author must closely examine all the cases and assumptions more profoundly and find a suitable verdict about success of honor code.