Managing student plagiarism in 2013: complex issue, complex solution Jude Carroll Educational...
-
Upload
dallas-kelsey -
Category
Documents
-
view
221 -
download
1
Transcript of Managing student plagiarism in 2013: complex issue, complex solution Jude Carroll Educational...
Managing student plagiarism in 2013:
complex issue, complex solution
Jude CarrollEducational Development consultantfor University of Kent, January 2013
Key ideas
Effective management requires a shared, holistic response: institution, teachers, students
Plagiarism is a learning issue and an integrity issue [but you need to focus on learning]
Management lessons have been learned: same and different from 10 years ago
Plagiarism occurs when someoneSubmits the work product
Of a named or identifiable person or source
In a situation where originality is expected
Without showing the source of the work product
For credit or benefitFishman, 2010
““
What defines cheating?
intention
creating a false impression
seeking unfair advantage
more than just ‘breaking the rules’
In 2013, there are more ….- more diverse students in higher
education- more opportunities to bypass the hard
work of learning- more instances of deliberate cheating
… perhaps- more coursework – type assignments
Is all this true here?
What’s changed about plagiarism (2001-2013)?From surprise to everyday event
From being a student’s responsibility ( ‘be honest’) to a shared responsibility for strong academic values & scholarship
From print-based copying to electronic & networked finding, sharing and copying.
in some places
What’s changed? (continued)From assuming all plagiarism is
cheating to recognising a range
From individuals finding solutions to having institutional policy
More marketing of ‘detection’ (sic) software and much more commissioning
Cheating, intention to deceive
misuse
misconductStudent does not know the rules;
student breaks the rules
misunderstanding
Student knows, makes a mistake
A few unwelcome changes
creating fear in students (‘….haunted by the specter of plagiarism’ Neville, 2010)
distorting students’ effort – moving away from why we use citations to how they are formatted
authorityI have chosen top peopleYou can be confident about what I write
validityI have chosen reliable peopleYou can believe what I write
traceable You can check what I write: is it correct?
recent What I write is up-to-date and relevant
broad research I have done a lot of researchI have looked for the best sources
using terms correctly
This is how people use this term in my subject
politeness and community
We all work together to build knowledge. It is not just me who thinks this.
Where to start?
1. Clear Definition [Knowing what….]
2. ‘Rules of the game’: induction, informing students
3. Skills practice : [Knowing how]
4. Designing programmes & assessments to discourage copying
5. Spotting it when it happens
6. Dealing with cases: fast, fair, defensible, consistent the
holistic approach
1. A working, understood definition
….There is more to plagiarism than copying
[….. There is more to stopping plagiarism than saying, ‘No copying’.]
Students explaining why they copied: “This person writes exactly what I
think.”“This person writes it better than I
do.”“This person writes English better
than I do.”“There is only one way to write
this.”“These are my own words. I copied
them myself.”“These are my own words. I copied
from a book …. but I bought the book.”
More false ideas I have encountered about copying
Copiers lack integrity.Copying is always a bad way to
learn‘A 0% copying score on Turnitin is
best’If teachers stop students from
copying, then their work with students is done…..
Copying is ‘cultural’
What software can do to help with restricting copying
Stopping students from copying
1. Acknowledge students’ previous experiences
2. Recognise language issues3. Empathise with students’
unwillingness to change4. Provide many exemplars + force
students to interact with them5. Practice, practice, practice6. Penalties that reflect the reality
‘No copying’ leaves many students confused
‘Taking others’ work’ NO! ‘Using others’ work’ YES!Writing from sources’ YES!
1. Differentiate what is ‘owned’ and what is not2. Select what work needs acknowledgement3. Understand how to acknowledge4. Do the acknowledgement skillfully
THE PLAGIARISM
PARADOX
using others’ work transparently
Skills development:If I told you the laws of cricket, would you be a good cricket player?
What would it take to become a good cricket player?
information examples
tools and equipment
Practice the ‘subskills’
feedback
working with an expert to aim high
motivating reasons
putting sub skills together. Practice
feedback
time
practice
Last word on awareness + skillProgramme-level responsibilityMultiple points of informationMultiple means of ‘getting the
message’
Requires interaction and discussion to ensure understanding. Requires practice.
Important to distinguish between knowing what to do & knowing how
and
knowing how to do it
Strategies for using [programme and] task design to deter students from plagiarism
An aside about deliberate cheatingIt happens …. but how much?It is easier now than ever ….
impersonationcommissioningback translation, usually linked to
CCP‘fooling’ Turnitinand?
Spotting plagiarism?Turning a blind eye?So much to say about this issue!
On spotting: sharing skills, using a range of strategies, using software well
On ‘blind eyes’: fair, trusted procedures
Procedures that do not hurt the ‘spotter’
Takes time and commitment to get it right
Anything you would like to talk about, linked to detection (sic) software?
When to use it?How to use it?Limitations and strengths?Staff development issues
Last but far from least…..
You need to design procedures for handling cases that are:
not painful for the spottercapable of managing large
numbers criteria-based (for severity, for
setting penalties)RecordedAnalysed for lessons
Last word on managing plagiarismComplex problemUnlikely to disappearFocus on learning, not on
cheatingRequires a systematic, joined up
and ongoing set of actionsIn general, there’s more good
news than bad.In later sessions, we will address
the procedures at Kent