Most people assume that plagiarism occurs more often in an online setting, because of the ease of access to an abundant amount of information, the ease of copying and pasting, as well as the student not being physically present. In this weeks resources, Dr. Pollaff and Dr. Pratt have found that they are seeing an equal amount when compared to face-to-face learning; with online learning it is just more feasible. Based upon Dr. Pollaff and Dr. Pratt's discussion most students do not seem to understand what constitutes plagiarism, "they do this inadvertently because they do not know"(Pollaff & Pratt, 2010). I recall one instance they had discussed where a student had handed in one of their own papers for another class. The students paper was detected by software that the institution had been using. Dr. Pratt had to explain that even though it was his paper, this action violated institution and ethical policy, the student was shocked. As am I, I did not know that one could be in violation of policy for using their own paper.
It seems that Dr. Pollaff and Dr. Pratt recommend taking a proactive approach when deterring plagiarism in an online setting. Informing students what constitutes plagiarism and where to receive assistance with any difficulties. This allows students to review what is expected, and to identify any potential mistakes. Another is to design assignments that may allow for plagiarism or provide assignments that require application and/or involve real life situations. This may make it more difficult for the student to simply copy and paste, having to apply materials to answer an novel question.
Using technology to detect plagiarism and cheating has become popular with academic institutions including high schools. There are several online plagiarism detection options to choose from. Two that I am familiar with and have used in my own classroom are Plagiarism Checker, http://www.plagiarismchecker.com/ and Turn It In, http://www.turnitin.com/, which we use here at Walden University. Both utilize a compiled data base to check an individuals work against. While Turn It In is a pay service, Plagiarism Checker is free for teachers.
Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. Plagiarism and Cheating [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Drs. Palloff and Pratt
Hi Lou
ReplyDeleteJust like you, I was not aware about the student plagiarizing his/her own paper by using it in another class. I’m glad that information was provided to us otherwise I would have probably made the mistake of allowing students to use previous papers. I think about the students that start a class, then withdraw half-way through the semester and when they retake the class and try to submit the same paper, if that is considered plagiarism as well. Some institutions do not allow students to submit papers from classes they dropped. Thank you for sharing information about “plagiarism checker” I was not aware of that one. I only know about Turnitin.
Lou,
ReplyDeleteWhat students have to understand is that plagiarism doesn’t just simply mean taking and copying the words and/or ideas of others, without giving credit (Viper, n.d.). Plagiarism also represents a level of information illiteracy. The instructor can get the impression that students who plagiarize are incapable of properly conducting research, handling information, and incorporating their own thoughts, ideas, and knowledge. When referencing resources, parts of sentences or paragraphs may have the original meaning, but I try as much as possible to re-write them in my own words, and use them to support some of my own personal understanding
References:
Viper (n.d.). What is plagiarism? Retrieved June 15, 2013 from http://www.scanmyessay.com/plagiarism/what-is-plagiarism.php
Lou and David,
ReplyDeleteReading through your post and Lou's response, brings home the concept that a course must develop a culture of respect for the work of others, and respect for one's own contributions.
Lou,
ReplyDeleteWhy thanks for the information. I was not aware that I could plagiarize my own work. I am going to have to research how do I give credit to my own work. I went with the following definition: Plagiarism is one type of violation of academic integrity. The Council of Writing Program Administrators states that “Plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) materials without acknowledging its source” (as cited in Quinn, 2006). Well your post has changed this definition somewhat.
Quinn, M. J. (2006). Ethics for the Information Age. Boston, MA.: Pearson
Lou,
ReplyDeleteI was surprised as well when I discovered that one could plagiarize their own paper, but when I think about it, I should have known that recycling a paper would be unacceptable. Using previous assignments alleviates me from putting forth any effort for the current assignment. Students should realize that they need to make an effort with every assignment and that papers that have been graded in the past should not be used. Still, I was surprised when I first learned this information. This is why it is so important to train students on plagiarism.