Principles of Accounting II – Writing Assignment
Spring 2022
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CASE INFORMATION
In November 2017, Ohio State University accused 83 College of Business students of cheating. The students used the GroupMe app for unauthorized collaboration on assignments. GroupMe is a free group messaging app originally advertised as a way for family and friends to stay in touch. As designed, GroupMe can also be used in an academic setting, enabling students to work together and form study groups.
Around the same time as the accusations from Ohio State University were reported, Dr. Robin Parker, an accountingprofessor at North Carolina A&T State University, experienced a similar situation in her online Principles of Accounting II course. A student gave Dr. Parker a copy of the GroupMe messages from the class. The student did not cheat, and therefore, believed that it was unfair for students to get an A in the course by cheating.
Students in Dr. Parker’s class used the GroupMe app to post questions from online quizzes and exams. The students also discussed how easy it was to cheat on online assessments and encouraged others to cheat in order to pass the class. The students’ rationale was that accounting was a difficult course and that NC A&T had the worst accounting professors. Dr. Parker used a program called Respondus Lockdown Browser and Webcam as an attempt to prevent academic dishonesty. However, students found ways to get around this software, including having someone sit off view of the camera to givethem answers to multiple-choice questions. Students also discussed where to hide cell phones so that they were notvisible on the camera.
30 students were members of the class’s GroupMe. Of the 30 students, 18 were active on the GroupMe chats, with six students admitting to cheating on online quizzes and exams. While some students did not actively participate in the chats, all students had access to quiz and exam questions when posted by other students.
After Dr. Parker made students aware that she had the GroupMe chats, 13 students formed a new GroupMe chat. The students discussed ways to continue cheating in the course and formed a common narrative to tell the college administrators in case Dr. Parker reported the situation to the Dean.
NC A&T’s College of Business and Economics’ Academic Integrity and Student Conduct policy states that unauthorized collaboration or collusion includes “discussing information or answers during a test/assignment or providing exam content to another person who has not completed the test/assignment.” After reviewing the policy, Dr. Parker must decide what sanctions if any are warranted.
Instructions:
After reading the fictional case information discussed above, write an essay that addresses the following questions:
When analyzing the case, be sure to also consider spelling, grammar and writing style. Spelling and grammatical errors will result in a significant reduction of your final scoreon the assignment.
Formatting Instructions:
The essay should be written in APA format, double-spacedand two to three pages in length (excluding a reference page). Submissions of less than two pages and more than three pages will result in a significant reduction of your final score on the assignment. Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri font should be used, along with 12-pt font size. Normal margins (1–inch) should be used for the entire paper. Unnecessary spacing will result in an automatic 50-point deduction.
Do not include a title/cover page. Instead insert a header with the following information: Name, Class Section and Date. Skip a line in the header and then state the title of your paper. A reference page should follow your essay. Be sure to use APA formatting to cite your references for any research used to support your position. In-text citations should be used wherever appropriate.
Upload your submission to Blackboard by Sunday,February 20, 2022, at 11:59 PM. Make sure that you use a word processing software to draft the essay. Your upload should be in .doc, .docx, or a similar format. A pdf document will not be accepted. If you use google docs, be sure to convert your document before submitting it. Links to files will not be accepted. Submissions that cannot be opened or incorrect documents submitted will result in 0 points assigned for the case. Once you upload your case, try to see if it opens. This is your responsibility. You have unlimited submissions until the due date. The link to submit the assignment will disappear after 11:59 PM on February 20, 2022. Assignments will not be accepted by email.