ARGUMENT242【DIES IN FLAMES 0910G长线突破组】TASK I ---Alex_2009

Alex_2009UID: 2616286

Purpose: To combat the recently reported dramatic rise in cheating among college and university students,
Conclusion: these institutions should adopt honor codes similar to Groveton's,
Definition: which calls for students to agree not to cheat in their academic endeavors and to notify a faculty member if they suspect that others have cheated.
2 Background = Contrast:
     Groveton's honor code replaced an old-fashioned system in which students were closely monitored by teachers and an average of thirty cases of cheating per year were reported.
    The honor code has proven far more successful: in the first year it was in place, students reported twenty-one cases of cheating; five years later, this figure had dropped to fourteen.
Survey: Moreover, in a recent survey conducted by the Groveton honor council, a majority of students said that they would be less likely to cheat with an honor code in place than without.
正文：
The author recommends that those institutions which have a dramatic rise in cheating should choose honor codes similar to Groveton’s. To support this recommendation the author cites the fact that the cheating number decrease after the implementation of honor code in Groveton. And a recent survey cited reflects a majority of students would be less likely to cheat as the result of the existence of an honor code. Close scrutiny of these facts, however, reveals that none of them lend credible support to the conclusion.

Firstly, the author unfairly assumes that the less report of cheating number from students indicates that honor code is more successful than old-fashioned system. It is entirely possible that the number of cheating is decreasing while the old-fashioned system was replaced by honor code. Perhaps the number of the Groveton’s student fell down in the first year honor code was in place. Without considering these possibilities the author cannot justifiably rely on the decrease of cheating number to draw any conclusion about the efficiency of honor code.

Furthermore, the fact that the figure of cheating number dropped down five years later proves nothing about the good effect of honor code. It is equally possible that the school took other measures to persuade their student not to cheat in the academic endeavors, such as an education involves the importance of sincerity, good faith and frankness to their lives, during the implementation of the honor code. Without ruling out other possible explanations for the decline of the cheating number during the five years the author cannot convince me on the basis of this weak evidence that the honor code got a good accomplishment on the lessening of the cheating number in Groveton.

Finally, the author’s conclusion about the worth of the existence of honor code depends on the result of recent survey conducted by the Groveton’s honor council. Yet, the author provides no evidence that the survey is statistically reliable. It doesn’t tell us whether the respondents are representative. And also common sense tells us that students who plan to cheat will not tell the truth to inquirers, because it is not an honor thing and it will bring discrimination from others if they tell them, so the author neglect this point, what people say do not according to what they really do. Hence, Lacking evidence of a sufficiently representative sample, the author cannot justifiably rely on the survey to draw any conclusion whatsoever.

In sum, the argument is unconvincing as it stands. Before I can accept this recommendation, the author must provide clear evidence that the shrink of the cheating number is as the result of the efficiency of honor code. To better evaluate the recommendation I would need more information about the survey cited by the Grove’s honor council, such as the size of the sample, and the creditability of the respondents.