Introduction to
Investigating Plagiarism
Teaching students how to avoid the student curse of plagiarism
Introduction
The recourse by some students to various forms of plagiarism and academic dishonesty continues to undermine academic credibility, while frustrating educators who reluctantly find themselves positioned in a detective role in opposition to an increasingly sophisticated cheating industry. In response, it has become a priority not just to warn students about the seriousness of the issue, but also to invest more time teaching ways to avoid this behaviour, especially in the context of coursework assignments.
Consequently, this professional development experience will initially explore simple techniques to identify various forms of student plagiarism in coursework assignments, and then focus on how to teach students practical ways to avoid academic dishonesty. The five themes covered on this course are:
Exploring the contrasting perceptions of plagiarism across cultures
Analysing the primary motivating impulses for student plagiarism and academic dishonesty
Considering simple techniques to identify types of student plagiarism and academic cheating
Teaching practical ways to avoid common forms of plagiarism including developing effective summarising skills
Examining a range of examples of plagiarised student assignment submissions and evaluating appropriate responses
The Course Aim
To develop an understanding of the various forms of plagiarism and academic dishonesty
The Course Objective
By the end of this course participants should be able to identify different forms of plagiarism and academic dishonesty while guiding students through practical steps to avoid such behaviour.
The Key Learning Outcomes
The primary learning outcomes will focus on supporting educators to do the following:
Define what is meant by plagiarism and academic honesty to develop a greater student awareness of the problem in an international learning context
Identify different types of student plagiarism by an analysis of a range of anonymised student assignments submissions
Examine the primary factors that motivate students to engage in plagiarism and academic dishonesty
Teach practical strategies that can help students to avoid plagiarism and academic dishonesty in assigned tasks, especially in terms of developing more effective summarising skills
Evaluate appropriate responses when confronting students with all forms of academic dishonesty to ensure the encounter will be framed more as a learning rather than disciplinary experience
For Organisations
Please contact us for further information on course design for EAP options and for professional development opportunities for educators.
Professional development courses are tailored to match the specific needs of clients that include members of university departments, international schools, colleagues teaching in English-medium environment, or individual educators.
If you require further information about the possible tailored focus on these professional development opportunities, please contact us for a free initial consultation.
If further discussion is required on your professional development requirements following the first consultation, please book a subsequent consultation.
See also:
Learning Expectations to examine contrasting cross-cultural teaching and learning expectations
Critical Thinking to evaluate the process of developing critical thinking in a cross-cultural context
Critical Reading to teach the application of critical reading techniques when evaluating academic texts