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Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity. Benjamin Laskar John Oughton. Imagine These Scenarios. Student A scans or takes a paper copy of a test; shares with friends in another section taking the test later

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Academic Integrity

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  1. Academic Integrity Benjamin Laskar John Oughton

  2. Imagine These Scenarios • Student A scans or takes a paper copy of a test; shares with friends in another section taking the test later • Student B downloads an essay from the Web, puts it through an English-French-English translation program so text strings will not turn up in a keyword search, edits and submits

  3. Imagine some more scenarios… • Student C removes a bottle’s label, scans it, substitutes exam, glues the new label on (Seneca College allows only “house brand” water in tests) • Student D stretches a wide rubber band, prints data on it, then wears it as a “bracelet” during exam

  4. Cheating and Plagiarism… Are as old as school itself, but new communication technologies and students’ ease with them create some new challenges for faculty.

  5. WHY Should We Bother? Confronting cheaters is unpleasant, and puts faculty into police mode…

  6. BUT… • We owe it to hard-working students who do not cheat • Cheaters who graduate without consequences reflect badly on our standards • 42% of students said in a U.S. survey they’d cheat on electronic tests, but only 14% would if others had been caught • It is part of our job

  7. How common is cheating? 21% of students have downloaded/ turned in a paper or report from the web; 50% have seen or heard about others doing this; 38% have copied text from Web sites and turned it in as their own work, while 60% have seen or heard this. Source: The Josephson Institute's Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth:

  8. Why do students cheat? Students and research say: No clear academic honesty guidelines Little risk of being caught/disciplined Cheating is acceptable because widely practiced A material/assignments are too hard Internet info is free, like music

  9. Why do students cheat? • Don’t understand rules for cheating, citation, paraphrasing, reference, etc. • Students dislike professor, have no personal relationship, or believe the course unnecessary • Faculty “model” cheating/laziness by re-using last year’s exams, assignments or course material off web without credit • Students struggle academically, lack time management, subject knowledge or writing skills

  10. Cultural Issues/Expectations • Memorization and exact quotation of academic and religious texts valued in many Asian/Middle Eastern cultures as scholarship • Western academic culture emphasizes individual effort and scrupulous citing of others’ words, but other educational systems don’t

  11. Howstudents cheat/plagiarize • Copying a paper for free (from friends, peers or paper mill website like schoolsucks.com) • Buying essay from paper mill website or local essay service • Cutting/pasting an essay/project together from multiple sources without credit • Colluding to share/copy work • Impersonating a student during test/exam

  12. Homework? Search Youtube using keywords like "test, exam, cheat". You'll find many short clips showcasing methods. For example, this one. Or the Band-aid. Beating Scantron… Need a Doctor’s Note?

  13. Common sources According to Turnitin.com, the most frequent source sites in Higher Ed. student papers (acknowledged or not) are: Social & Content Sharing 26% Homework & Academic 22 Cheat Sites & Paper Mills 20 News & Portals 17 Encyclopedia 12 Other 3

  14. A Paper Mill This example claims to have a team of fast-writing experts who deliver “plagiarism-free” papers. Site here.

  15. Headsets • Many students attempt to wear headsets and listen to music during tests.. • The students can record dates, formulas, or other information between songs to play back during the test. • iPods and other digital players can hold audio files with answers to exams.

  16. Smartphones • Students store information, including entire chapters of books, that they are being tested on. • They photograph tests and send the image to other students. Lathrop and Foss, 2000, p. 15

  17. Seen these? “Highlighter” scanners can scan and store up to 500 pages at a time… including your test or exam?

  18. Plagiarism-resistant Papers • Avoid topics too general or common in your discipline • Require that students apply theory/model/ approach to their own experience, a current event, or a local case • Require an interview or other “primary research” component • Make students include citations/references from your textbook or course hand-outs

  19. Plagiarism-resistant papers • Break major assignments into several steps/checkpoints spaced apart in time • Value, and grade, process as well as product: evaluate outline, proposal, research notes and/or rough draft • Set an “expiration date” for references: e.g. no references more than 2-3 yrs. old

  20. Plagiarism-proof your course • Get a handwritten in-class writing sample from each student early in course; keep it to check for characteristic errors, style, vocabulary level in major projects • Discuss in class and via hand-out rules for proper reference, citation, paraphrasing • Show students examples of proper and improper research papers/projects

  21. Cheat-proofing tests/exams • For short-answer/essay questions; ask for application, personal reflection, critical thinking or compare-contrasting. • For multiple-choice tests: make several versions with questions in different order; distribute in 1-2-3, 1-2-3 order to class.

  22. Cheat-proofing tests/exams • Do not allow any electronic devices (smart phones, MP3 players, spell-checkers, etc.) except when required for documented accommodation. Specify type of calculator allowed (if any) • Ask students to show you dictionaries, calculators, etc. before writing • Patrol room (especially back) • Make seating chart and tell students you will cross-reference answer patterns with chart

  23. Cheat-proofing tests/exams • Assign seating at random • Prepare two different exams • Give open-book exams, requiring application of material, not simply recall/ quoting • Allow students to prepare and bring into exam limited notes (e.g. one 8 ½ X 11” page) – even award part of exam grade for quality of these • Allow “a magic minute” to consult texts, notes, other students

  24. Detecting Plagiarists • If you suspect plagiarism, verify it. • Keep original • Look for formatting clues: inconsistent font/size changes, website URLs at the bottom of the page, etc. • Look for sudden/random changes in writing style, vocabulary, number of mistakes • Submit to Turnitin

  25. Detecting Plagiarists • Compare style, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, etc. with student’s previous work • Topics/ themes/ sources not matching your assignment • Arrange a meeting. Ask student to orally summarize the paper, or define rare/ technical terms used • If all student’s references are obscure, ask for copies of sources

  26. A few closing words…

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