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.