Computer simulation of dental professionals as a moral community

Current empirical studies of moral behavior of healthcare professionals are almost entirely focused on self-reports, usually collected under the assumption that an ethical disposition characterizes individuals across various contexts. It is well known, however, that individuals adjust their behavior to what they see being done by those in their peer group. That presents a methodological challenge to traditional research within a community of peers because the behavior of each individual is both the result of norms and a contributor to the norms of others. Computer simulations can be used to address this methodological challenge. A Markov replicator model that runs on an Excel spreadsheet was used to investigate a community with four agent types in the dental community: devious practitioners, ethical practitioners who avoid involvement in the poor ethics of others, ethical practitioners who accept it as part of their professional responsibility to challenge colleagues who act unprofessionally, and those who enforce ethical standards. A panel of leaders in the profession independently estimated parameters for the model and criteria for a possible distribution of agent types in the community. The simulation converged on distributions of the agent types that were very similar to the expectations of the panel. The simulation suggests the following characteristics of such moral communities: The structure of such communities is robust across a wide distribution. It appears that reduction in unethical behavior is more sensitive to the way ethical practitioners interact with each other than to sanctions the enforcement community imposes on unethical practitioners, and that large external interventions will be short lived.

Academic integrity and plagiarism: perceptions and experience of staff and students in a school of dentistry: a situational analysis of staff and student perspectives

INTRODUCTION

This project has investigated student and staff perceptions and experience of plagiarism in a large Australian dental school to develop a response to an external audit report.

METHODS

Workshops designed to enhance participants' understanding of plagiarism and to assist with practical ways to promote academic integrity within the school were provided to all students and staff. Anonymous surveys were used to investigate perceptions and experience of plagiarism and to assess the usefulness of the workshops.

RESULTS

Most participants felt that plagiarism was not a problem in the school, but a significant number were undecided. The majority of participants reported that the guidelines for dealing with plagiarism were inadequate and most supported the mandatory use of text-matching software in all courses. High proportions of participants indicated that the workshops were useful and that they would consider improving their practice as a result.

CONCLUSIONS

The study provided data that enhanced understanding of aspects of plagiarism highlighted in the report at the school level and identified areas in need of attention, such as refining and raising awareness of the guidelines and incorporation of text-matching software into courses, as well as cautions to be considered (how text-matching software is used) in planning responsive action.

Characteristics, prevalence, attitudes, and perceptions of academic dishonesty among pharmacy students

OBJECTIVES

To ascertain background factors that influence pharmacy students' willingness to cheat, describe attitudes regarding methods of cheating, assess prevalence of cheating and determine atmospheres that may aid in preventing academic dishonesty.

METHODS

Third-professional year PharmD students at 4 institutions participated in a survey administered by a class representative.

RESULTS

Of the 296 students who completed survey instruments, 16.3% admitted to cheating during pharmacy school. Approximately 74% admitted that either they or their classmates had worked on an individual assignment with a friend. Students who cheated during high school or in a prepharmacy program were more likely to cheat during pharmacy school (p < 0.0001). Those who possessed a bachelor of science (BS) degree prior to pharmacy school were less likely to cheat (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Academic dishonesty is prevalent among pharmacy students. While few respondents directly admitted to cheating, many admitted to activities traditionally defined as dishonest.