What can be done about plagiarism and cheating

1
What can be done about plagiarism and cheating?

• Sally Brown
• Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Assessment, Learning and
  Teaching
• Leeds Metropolitan University

2
This presentation owes a great deal to

• Early work done with Liz McDowell in the nineties
  at the University of Northumbria that resulted in
  a Red Guide and a publication on the ILTHE
  website
• The work of Jude Carroll, particularly a one week
  residency at Leeds Metropolitan University in May
  2006.

3
Everyone says plagiarism has increased. This may
be because

• Electronic practices make it really easy to do
• Its much easier nowadays (in the olden days, at
  least you had to copy things out!)
• There is heightened awareness of its practice
  (particularly a media frenzy)
• Students dont necessarily see anything wrong
  with it.

4
Students plagiarise for all kinds of reasons
consciously because

• Im not really good enough to be here. Theyll
  find me out soon enough
• I havent got time to do it properly because
  Ive got so much else to do
• If they are stupid enough to give us 3
  assignments with the same deadline, what can they
  expect?
• Its just so easy with the web
• I just couldnt say it better myself

5
Unconsciously they do it because

• They dont really understand the rules.
• They understand the rules but just get them
  wrong.
• They have poor academic practices (dont keep
  good records, dont record where they got things
  from etc.)
• They are post-modern, eclectic,
  Google-generationists, Wikipediasts, who dont
  necessarily recognise the concepts of
  authorships/ownerships.

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Some of the questions they ask

• How much can I use? Is a single sentence OK?
• Does it count if I just say the same thing in my
  own words?
• Who am I to try and say it better than the
  author/lecturer who can say it so much better
  than me?
• Why have the rules changed since I went to
  school?

7
Are international students more likely to
plagiarise than home students? A contested topic

• Biggs, De Vita, Joughin and Carroll all have
  different takes than this
• Students from Confucian Heritage Cultures (CFCs)
  some argue have a greater tendency to do so for
  cultural reasons
• Others argue that students who are struggling
  tend to be more tempted to plagiarise (and
  international students often struggle when they
  are adapting to a new culture).

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Where do they plagiarise from

• Other students (voluntary)
• Other students (involuntary)
• Themselves
• Text books and other books and printed sources
  (more rarely nowadays)
• Web accessed materials
• Commercial suppliers
• And..

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And what about you and me?

• Recycling (How much do you plagiarise yourself?)
• Forgetting sources leading to sloppy statements
  like research suggests everyone says
  early work by.. etc
• Forgetting you didnt originate something
  yourself
• And.

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So what can we do? Four approaches

• Use strict controls
• Make the rules clear and have known penalties
• Design assessment instruments that make cheating
  difficult
• Develop a climate that will reduce the likelihood
  of cheating.

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Strategy 1 Use strict controls

• Use well-invigilated unseen, closed-book exams.
• Use computer-based tests.
• Conduct spot checks.
• Check for mark discrepancies.
• Check the identities of students being assessed.
• Install strict controls on high stakes
  assessment and worry less about the rest.

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Strategy 2 Make the rules clear and have known
penalties

• Help students to understand what are the rules of
  the game.
• Publicise the occurrences of cheating and
  plagiarism that we identify and punish.
• Students can help to police each other.

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Strategy 3 Design assessment instruments that
make cheating difficult (1)

• Use open-book rather than closed book exams.
• Use assignments which draw on personal experience
  and require evidence of it.
• Ask students to produce reflective journals and
  critical incident accounts.
• Use vivas and orals to verify that work
  undertaken is the students own
• Design assignments which are different for each
  student.

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Strategy 3 Design assessment instruments that
make cheating difficult (2)

• Devise assignments which require choice and
  individual activity related to specific contexts.
• Use Computer-Based Assessment.
• Use assignments which need to be authenticated by
  a third party.
• Ask students to submit alongside their assignment
  photocopied extracts from the key sources they
  have used and to indicate how they have used them.

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Strategy 3 Design assessment instruments that
make cheating difficult (3)

• Use group assessment.
• Involve an element of peer assessment.
• Give students tasks that require them working in
  learning teams.
• Monitor the production of assessed work.

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Strategy 4 Develop a climate that will reduce
the likelihood of cheating

• Provide a good teaching and learning environment.
• Design assessment carefully that are fit for
  purpose.
• Help students to take control of their learning.

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Strategy 4 Develop a climate that will reduce
the likelihood of cheating

• Provide assistance to students with difficulties.
• Develop student motivation.
• Consider students relationships with the course
  and institution.

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So what?

• We know what doesnt work in preventing
  plagiarism, but do we know what does?
• Can we differentiate between intentional and
  unintentional plagiarism when we are dealing with
  it (and does it matter?).
• What are the best institutional and individual
  ways in which we can combat plagiarism
  effectively?