Plagiarism, Detection and Prevention

Both the university I work for and Walden University, where I am a student, use TurnItIn as their preferred plagiarism detection software. At work, SafeAssign was previously used with reasonable success and I have previously used Grammarly.com for my own personal use. Stavredes (2011) points out that “one key ethical issue of growing concern is plagiarism, because of the rise in reported cases across countries” (p.223). Many universities provide software to be used to detect plagiarism. At my place of work, instructors often log in queries about what tool(s) to use for detecting plagiarism in their students’ work and even for their own work. My approach is to refer them to the plagiarism detection software tool that is licenced and available at their university and which integrates with the institutions’ Learning Management System, Blackboard. They might be many other plagiarism detection software tools available on the internet for free, such as the Grammarly.com but it is important for online instructors to consider using institution-based software for in case they need additional support and for security of data.

            The instructor needs to design assessment in such a way that it helps learners reduce the chances of academic dishonesty in their work. Dr. Pratt in Laureate Education (2010) recommends “designing assessment to incorporate collaboration and discourage cheating”. If students work as a group, there are more chances that they will learn from their peers on how to cite sources appropriately for example and they would be at ease to communicate their problems with their counterparts than with instructors thus possibly reducing instances of academic dishonesty. Laureate Education, (2010) also recommends designing assessment in a way that students can reflect on real-life situations and experiences. Each student will then share their own life experiences, which are more likely to be different from student to student. The assessment tools used should be designed to include in their rubrics points for citations and references.

            Stavredes (2011) proposes a “consideration of specific strategies both proactive and reactive as you begin teaching, to try to deter learners from plagiarizing”(p.229). As a future online instructor, I have to ensure that I receive training on how to detect plagiarism myself first, and on how to use the tools provided by the institution for detecting plagiarism effectively and then on the institutional policies and processes for dealing with the issue. Such training would assist me as an instructor to be able to train my own students and to engage them in scholarly discourse about the issue. Laureate Education (2010) argues that “one of the facilitator’s roles is to educate learners about copyright, fair use, plagiarism, and cheating”. As a strategy to educate learners, I would consider giving them hands-on activities to master the expected skills. I could do that by requesting universities service providers such as writing centres to train students on plagiarism during the online orientation, prior to starting my online course. Boettcher & Conrad, (2010) recommend the addition of “a section on plagiarism, particularly on what it is and how to avoid it” on the course syllabus (p.73). I would also require students to complete an online quiz with question on plagiarism which they can practice several times until they obtain 100%, to ensure that they understand what plagiarism is, how to detect it and how can it be prevented. It is also useful to provide drafts where students can check plagiarism on their own to give them  an opportunity to practice appropriate scholarly writing without the fear of being judged by the software tool.  This is what Walden University provides for its students.

            Universities have to set-up guidelines for detecting, and preventing plagiarism. This can be done by finding out what causes “the writer to deliberately use someone else’s language, ideas, or other original materials without acknowledging its source” as the Council of Writing in Quinn 2006 define plagiarism (Jocoy, & DiBiase, 2006, p.2). The reason people plagiarise might be related to the fact that they are either not aware of the impact of plagiarism, or are ignorant about the act. This can be dealt with by “setting up transparent processes for dealing with plagiarism and academic misconduct” (Weber-Wulff, 2014, p.113). For example, reliable software tools for detecting plagiarism should be provided, 24/7 support should be available and training for instructors and students should be mandatory before the start of the online course or programme. The policies of universities should also give adequate guidance about how to handle the issue of plagiarism so that the cause of the problem is treated early, fairly and in an equal manner for all.

Reference

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Jocoy, C., & DiBiase, D. (2006).  Plagiarism by adult learners online: A case study in detection and remediation.  International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 7(1), 1-15.

Leaurate, Education (2010).  Plagiarism and cheating.  [Video webcast]. Retrieved from

Stavredes, T. (2011). Effective online teaching: foundations and strategies for student success. Jossey-Bass, USA.

Weber-Wulff, D. (2014). False Feathers: A perspective on academic plagiarism. Berlin, Heidelberg,Springer-Verlag.

Impact of Technology and Multimedia

"Who dares to teach must never cease to learn" - John Cotton Dana.

            There is a rapid increase in the development of technology all over the globe. Grajek (2014) states that “the attention paid to MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) indicates the urgency to integrate more technology into teaching and learning” (p.13). The developments in the areas of technology and multimedia are challenging many online professionals, such as facilitators, instructors, technology administrators and instructional designers who are charged with the responsibility to integrate new technologies and keep up with the pace of the changes. The major challenges with the use of technology and multimedia is on how information is presented in online environments, whether the learner is able to engage in the learning process, and whether the design of the multimedia and technologies is able to distribute knowledge to all intended learners.

Technology and multimedia can enhance learning, with the use of illustrations tools such as audio, videos, and pictures, instead of single method of presenting information (as in text or audio). I have recently viewed two interesting science lessons in a video, for example, where the teachers presented lessons on the “forces in equilibrium”. One presented the lesson with text and audio while the other made use of various videos to illustrate concept. The group that used multimedia was more engaged and had better performance on the lesson. Price (2007) argues that “students have a stronger preference for instructional material that contains visual representations, perceiving them as more accessible and easier to engage with” (p.320). When technology is used efficiently, it motivates learners to engage within the learning space. As technology grows and changes, that places a demand on the professionals to learn how to effectively use various technology tools and multimedia in online environment.

            Boettcher & Conrad, (2010) recommend that “the best approach for teaching a first online course is to keep it simple and focus on essential tools” (p.57). The instructor needs to start by learning to use the basic functionality of the selected technology tool. There is no use in overwhelming yourself with tons of knowledge that is irrelevant to your lesson outcomes.  It is better to start small and gradually learn other things as the need arises. The first step is to start by attending training that is offered at the local institutional level and/or make use of free online tutorials that are provided. Another important consideration is to build good relations with the support staff and not to waste much time with trial and error as one tries to figure the unknown, instead of just contacting the support team. The technical support, administrators, student assistants and instructional designers are not only critical for support but can also assist online students with frequently asked questions and when the facilitator is not available.  Asking for help from others is one way to learn quickly from experts about the technologies and multimedia tools to use in the online teaching.

            Technology tools used for online learning should be useable and accessible; otherwise they add no value to learning if they serve as a décor. Bates (2000) argues that “a critical part of the design of educational multimedia is the interface” (p.40). The instructor needs to determine how learners will interact with the tool by testing it before the course begins in each term, semester or year and enquire from the support team about online orientation for the instructor and students. If students cannot access the material, obviously they cannot use it either. It is also helpful to learn how the tool works so that the instructor can be prepared to respond to students’ questions on how the tool works, not refer even the simplest of questions to the support team. Technology can be very sensitive to changes, therefore the instructor needs to check frequently the accessibility of the tools way before the class commences. The designing of the learning material should follow an integrated systematic process for course design so that it is accessible and usable to all learners with and without visible disabilities. For example, when the video is used to present information, transcripts for visual impaired students should be provided. Cooper, et al. (2007) mention that “the main challenge in accessibility is responding to the diversity of the ways different users interact with computer environment” (p.233). Technology tools used in teaching online should be accessible and usable to a wide range of individual preferences.

The most appealing online teaching tool for me is the course management systems (CMS) such as Blackboard Learn, which serve as a centralized point for sharing information in the online learning environment. Most institutions use CMS such as Blackboard, Moodle, Sakai, and Desire2Learn to facilitate teaching online. I also found videos more appealing as they have become so easy to create. Even learners can develop their own videos without hassles. A number of videos are also available for free online, with relevant expertise and knowledge for anyone to use for purposes such as teaching online. The developments and improvements of technologies have increased competition within the industry in such a way that there are many tools to choose from that are available for free or with limited free trial all over the internet.

Reference

Bates, T. (2000). Teaching, Learning, Impact of Multimedia, and Technologies,

University of British Columbia.

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Cooper, M., Colwell, C., & Jelfs, A. (2007). Embedding accessibility and usability: Considerations for e-learning research and development projects. ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, 15(3), 231-245. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database.