Educators have a responsibility to foster and maintain
standards of academic integrity, which requires engaging students in the
development of moral reasoning (Jocoy & DiBase, 2006). Academic integrity in the online learning
environment is possible through the use of plagiarism detection software. Unfortunately, dishonesty, whether
intentional or accidental, occurs in virtually any learning scenario and online
learning is no exception to plagiarism.
Educators have always been concerned with upholding standards of
academic integrity among individuals engaged in a scholarly pursuit (Jocoy
& DiBase, 2006). Through the
implementation of plagiarism detection software the task of identifying
plagiarized work becomes more accurate and systematic. Presently, instructors can use internet tools
such as plagiarism detection programs such as Turnitin.com or the search engine
Google to search for text that has been copied from other sources without
providing proper credit.
The manner in which assessments are designed can help to
prevent academic dishonesty. As stated
in this week’s resources, academic integrity can be jeopardized by a lack of
knowledge about plagiarism and through explicit instruction plagiarism can be
avoided (Jocoy et al, 2006). By having
students complete assignments that do
not encourage just copy-paste information from the internet the rate of
plagiarism would be likely to decrease.
Additionally, by contrasting assignments prepared by students with
minimal plagiarism instruction to assignments completed by those receiving
explicit instruction, the rate of plagiarism decreased (Jocoy et al.,
2006).
As an instructor and future facilitator of adult learners, I
would design assignments that do not encourage the practice of copy and paste
to complete assignments. I would also
include in my instruction academic integrity and the importance of giving the
original writer credit for their work.
So many students are under the impression that citing another person’s
work lessens their own work when in actuality including reliable sources to
support your own ideas strengthens the writing.
As the instructor, I would establish my presence early and often,
beginning with a brief course overview and a short biography. By establishing my presence, the students
will be able to identify with me (as a human) and not just think of the course
as just an online course. Also, when
grading student assignments, I would use a plagiarism detection tool such as
Turnitin.com or Google to search for
identical text. Lastly, by designing
assignments that require citations, students will learn the significance of
providing credit to the original writer.
In an effort to deter plagiarism from semester to semester I
would stagger or alternate assignments.
I would also include a variety of course assignments with a mixture of
individual and group assignments. Also,
if I were able I would alternate the course material from semester to semester
so that the students would not be able to use someone else’s papers from a previous
semester.
Reference:
Jocoy, C., & DiBiase, D. (2006). Plagiarism by adult
learners online: A case study in detection and remediation. International
Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 7(1), 1–15.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
I like your suggestion about changing assignments between semesters to prevent the sharing of work between semesters. I also agree that online instructor presence is essential to the learning environment and will help establish expectations early.
ReplyDeleteHi Jane,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Lack of information and understanding of what is plagiarism can be problematic in learning situations. Students should be made aware that cheating and academic dishonesty is not acceptable. They should be given the proper tools and guidelines to deter cheating. Not all students intentionally cheat, but there are those that do, with proper education on the subject, students are equipped to detect and avoid such behavior.
Dee