Implementing plagiarism policy in the internationalised university

1
Implementing plagiarism policy in the
internationalised university

• Tracey Bretag
• School of Management,
• University of South Australia

2
Outline of presentation

• Abstract
• Introduction International EAL students
• Context Internationalisation of Higher Education
• Literature Review Perspectives on plagiarism
• Method
• Findings
• Notable quotations from the data
• Conclusion

3
Abstract

• Findings from interviews with 14 academic staff
  members from 10 Australian universities.
• Implementation of student plagiarism policies,
  particularly in relation to international EAL
  students.
• Findings Institutional and personal factors
  contribute to effective implementation of
  plagiarism policy.
• This paper reports on institutional issues

4
Introduction

• International students studying in a second
  language at an Australian university are unlikely
  to have comparable linguistic competence to their
  local counterparts.
• IELTS (International English Language Test Score)
• BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills)
  vs CALP (Cognitive Academic Linguistic
  Proficiency).

5
Need for academic induction

• A range of researchers (Biggs and Watkins 1996
  Tang 1996 Kirby, Woodhouse and Ma 1996 Stoynoff
  1996 Thompson Thompson 1996 Angelova and
  Riazantseva 1999) all agree that international
  students should be inducted into the new academic
  environment, with specific training provided in
  western academic conventions.
• gt1000 international students in Division of
  Business two learning advisers.
• Wajnryb (2000) is critical of online resources
  for L2 students.

6
Accusations of plagiarism

• Combination of factors
• Low English language entrance scores (with
  insufficient recognition of CALP)
• Little institutional support or training
• Different cultural expectations and learning
  backgrounds
• It is not surprising that accusations of
  plagiarism are a frequent occurrence for many EAL
  international students.

7
Context Internationalisation of HE

• Definitions
• combined effect of a variety of activities,
  including the international movement of students,
  staff and campuses international links (between
  governments, between institutions, or for
  research) and the internationalisation of
  curricula. (Back Davis cited in de Wit 1995 p.
  121).

8
Definitions of internationalisation

• Canadian perspective
• A process rather than a series of activities, and
  that this process should infuse all aspects of
  higher education, fostering global understanding
  and developing skills for effective living and
  working in a diverse world (Francis 1993, cited
  in Savage 2001, p. 1).

9
Definitions of internationalisation

• Most recent definition Internationalisation at
  the national, sector, and institutional levels is
  defined as the process of integrating an
  international, intercultural, or global dimension
  into the purpose, functions or delivery of
  postsecondary education (Knight 2004).

10
Rationales for internationalisation

• Rationales for internationalization can be
  grouped in four categories social/cultural,
  political, economic and academic (Knight 2004)
• Knight notes that while the promotion of
  intercultural understanding is still significant,
  there has been a shift toward economic and
  commercial interests.

11
Economic basis of internationalisation

• Internationalisation has been complicated by the
  increasing numbers of private, commercially based
  operations which are in the business of
  education for one purpose only to make money
  (Knight 2004)
• Note Knight regards many Australian universities
  as commercial providers.

12
Economic basis of internationalisation

• In practical terms, internationalisation has
  been a direct result of decreased federal funding
  of education in the tertiary sector (see Matthews
  2003 Marginson 2003 de Vita and Case 2003
  Starck 2000 Dobson, 1998 Back et al.1996
  Alexander Rizvi 1993)
• According to Merrill Lynch, the international
  education sector is a 2.2 trillion business
  worldwide (Savage, 2004).

13
Impact of commercialisation

• Commercialization of higher education new
  paradigm of student as consumer, with the
  client now seeking value for money, not
  necessarily in terms of a quality education, but
  in terms of the best grades for the minimum
  effort (De Vita and Case 2003 Szekeres 2003
  Coady 2000 Bailey (2000) Sacks 1996)
• Marginson (2003) race to the bottom

14
This research project

• This research
• Exploration of how plagiarism policies are
  implemented in the current context of
  internationalisation
• Students fee-paying status arguably more
  important than academic credentials or the
  institutions commitment to intercultural
  understanding.

15
Literature review Perspectives on plagiarism

• Plagiarism as an ESL issue
• Plagiarism as an issue of academic literacy
• Plagiarism as a cultural construct
• Accusations of plagiarism as a form of racism
• Plagiarism as an issue of academic integrity
• Plagiarism as media scandal
• Responding to plagiarism (preventative and
  punitive)
• Obstacles to managing plagiarism

16
My own position and biases

• All of the perspectives on plagiarism have some
  merit and therefore need to be considered within
  a holistic framework.
• Large body of literature on understanding and
  responding to plagiarism.
• Very little open critique of the commercialised
  context of HE and its link with plagiarism (see
  Saltmarsh forthcoming IJEI)
• My position as an EAL business lecturer dealing
  with both inadvertent and deliberate plagiarism
  on a regular basis.

17
Method

• 14 semi-structured interviews (40-60 minutes,
  transcribed)
• 10 universities, all states ACT
• 7 women, 7 men
• 11 academic staff, 3 learning support
• Experience from four to gt15 years experience.
• Data from interviews triangulated with literature
  review and personal experience

18
Interview questions

• Have you personally had any involvement with
  cases of plagiarism at your institution?
• In your professional role, are you satisfied with
  the institutions policy regarding plagiarism?
• In your professional role, are you satisfied that
  the institution consistently follows its own
  policy in relation to plagiarism?
• In your experience, are international EAL
  students more likely to be accused of plagiarism
  than local students? Why/why not?
• Do you perceive any differences between the way
  that your institution deals with international
  and local students regarding plagiarism?
• In an ideal world, would you have any suggestions
  for improving the institutions policy and/or
  processes in relation to plagiarism?
• In your opinion, are there any special
  considerations that need to be given to
  international students in relation to plagiarism?
• How might these considerations be incorporated
  into policy/processes?
• Any other comments?

19
Method

• Nudist software (N6)
• Interviews coded into categories or themes and
  sub-categories.
• Memoing
• Text searches
• Construction of tables matrices
• Revisited literature review

20
Findings

• Main categories to emerge from the data
• Types of plagiarism (deliberate inadvertent,
  reasons, academic complicity)
• Policy (use of, knowledge of, responses,
  Turnitin, appeals and penalties)
• Best practice
• Institutional context (pressures, consideration
  of big picture, workload, media concerns, support
  for staff)
• International students (EAL issues, special
  considerations)
• Emotional aspects (student behaviour, stress,
  confidentiality)

21
Findings

• Two categories of factors emerged Institutional
  and personal.
• Only the institutional factors are discussed in
  this paper.

22
Institutional factors

• Plagiarism as an issue of governance
• 50 of respondents were critical of university
  processes (entry requirements, support
  arrangements, break down at Appeals)
• Int06 stated that there was a direct relationship
  between fee-paying status of student and outcome
  of Appeal
• Int11 spoke of senior managers intimating that he
  turn a blind eye to plagiarism by fee-paying
  students.

23
Institutional factors

• Responses to plagiarism
• 13/14 respondents agreed that both local and
  international students should be treated in the
  same way for all types of plagiarism.
• Int06 provided detailed suggestions for how the
  particular needs of international students should
  be addressed (language, culture, learning styles,
  articulation, financial issues, institutional
  support, paid employment, visa issues, fear of
  failure, living arrangements, family
  expectations, motivations).

24
Institutional factors

• Obstacles to managing plagiarism
• 13/14 respondents wanted clear procedural
  guidelines
• 10/14 cited workload as a key impediment
• 8/14 referred to a lack of institutional support
• 7/14 discussed institutional pressures to pass
  fee-paying students
• All respondents mentioned financial issues when
  discussing deliberate plagiarism
• All respondents who had pursued cases of
  plagiarism discussed stress related issues.

25
Institutional recommendations

• Separate academic issues from financial
  considerations
• Provide clear definitions and explicit procedural
  guidelines
• Require academic staff to be involved during the
  Appeals process
• Provide adequate training, staff development and
  support to staff
• Recognize workload and stress issues for staff
  involved in pursuing cases of plagiarism.

26
Notable quotations from the data

• Institutional pressures
• There is no doubtthat there is pressure on
  academicsI actually think that plagiarism is
  one aspect of the bigger problem which is that
  the work is just not up to scratchand the
  university needs to rethink its institutional
  framework for dealing with these students. If we
  are really committed to educating them. Not just
  to the dollar (Int01)

27
Notable quotes

• English skills and fee paying status
• the policy is not clear about the role of staff
  either. Im doing this now for a Masters
  student whose English skills are very poor but
  there are no guidelines for how Im supposed to
  manage this. Hes a full-fee paying
  studentWheres the policy that tells me that
  its not my jobto try and solve it? Should I
  try to send the thesis out to someone who I know
  will be sympathetic? A matewho has a track
  record of being generally generous or
  sympathetic? (Int01)

28
Notable quotes

• Governance and stress issues
• Q So you had direction from the most senior
  person in the university to graduate this student
  even though you knew shed plagiarised on
  numerous occasions?
• AYes, and it was the most painful thing Ive had
  to doI did not attend and I will not be
  attending this current graduation because I would
  have been ashamed or I might havelost my
  decorumand shouted Cheat! when she was given
  the degree(Int09)

29
Notable quotes

• Workload
• the main problemis there is no incentive to
  take any steps against plagiarism. Its a lot of
  work, there is very rarely a serious penalty
  applied to the student but quite often the
  lecturer can get him or herself into trouble
  (Int11)
• following the plagiarism policy through is like
  torture (Int13).

30
Conclusion

• Plagiarism policies in most universities have
  undergone a radical overhaul in the last few
  years.
• Lecturers try to balance maintaining standards
  with recognition of students diverse
  cultural/learning backgrounds.
• Efforts undermined by internationalisation
  based on economic rationale.
• International EAL students are more likely to be
  accused of plagiarism, but more likely to have
  penalties reduced on appeal.

31
Conclusion

• Commercialisation is a factor that hinders the
  effective implementation of plagiarism policies.
• Universities need to reclaim traditional role as
  places of research, teaching, learning and
  community service.