WK6AssgnSymondsA

 

Plagiarism Detection and Prevention

I feared plagiarism when I began my course at Walden University. It had been decades since I was a student, and as I read the documentation about plagiarism and the dos and don’ts of citations and referencing, I panicked.   Stealing is not something I do, and taking someone’s intellectual property intentionally or not and calling it my own is stealing. As a result, I spend hours making sure my referencing is correct, and my sentences are not copies of another author’s words. The last thing I want is to make a mistake that could cost me my degree and reputation.

I learned a lot about cheating and plagiarism during this week’s module. I did not know companies that enabled this dishonest practice existed and that other companies defended against it. I also did not know about the protocols for taking online examinations, such as camera monitoring and keystroke data (Haynie & Moody, 2019). As a future instructional designer, designing courses that factor in the probability of cheating is necessary. With online learning becoming the norm in all industries, it is naive to believe that all students will adhere to the rules and regulations regarding plagiarism, mainly because many plagiarize in ignorance of what plagiarism is (Walden University, 2010; Jocoy & Dibiase, 2006). Designers and instructors must know how learners will attempt to cheat to understand how to thwart it best. Take a look at some things to consider when designing and facilitating a course.

·         What plagiarism detection software is available to online instructors?

With the use of the internet for research, there are several types of plagiarism-checking software available online, with some built into education Learning Management Systems (Haynie & Moody, 2019).  Some software is free, but not rated as highly as subscription software.  To determine if the software instructors have access to is dependable, the characteristics of the software should,

 “Allow users to upload text-based documents and/or monitor input text in real time

Highlight plagiarized content within a written body of work

Refer to one or more content repositories when searching for plagiarism” (G2, 2023).

A few examples of software that meet these criteria are Grammarly, Turnitin, Plagiarismcheck.org, and iThenticate (G2, 2023).  

·         How can the design of assessments help prevent academic dishonesty?

Designing an assessment that focuses on real-life application is the best way to help students to avoid the temptation of cheating. In true workplace environments workers are expected to research and collaborate on how to achieve goals (Walden University, 2010). Examinations that focus on the application of skills allowing students to communicate to best apply what they have learned during a course tend to have fewer cheating attempts than an assessment that focuses on memorization of facts and formulas (Walden University, 2010).

·         What facilitation strategies do you propose to use as a current or future online instructor?

As a facilitator one of the first strategies to use is to inform students about what plagiarism is and give examples of what it looks like. This may mean more than having learners read the educational institution policy as this has been proven to have a low influence on cheating behaviors (Jocoy & Dibiase, 2006).  Instead, provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate an understanding of plagiarism via a quiz for example (Jocoy & Dibiase, 2006).  A second strategy is to encourage all students to use the detection software the course provides before submitting their assignments. This will help students to recognize their errors immediately, giving them an opportunity to correct them accordingly.  The third strategy is to promote the use of librarians and writing centers to help students with correct referencing and citation (Walden University, 2010). Forth, as the facilitator, it is necessary to enforce the rules and regulations concerning cheating and plagiarism because students are less likely to continually repeat plagiarism infractions when they have been penalized (Jocoy & Dibiase, 2006).  

·         What additional considerations for online teaching should be made to help detect or  prevent cheating and plagiarism?

As an instructor, it is good to use the technological advances available to discourage cheating.  Cheating detection technology such as IP tracking, biometrics, online proctoring, and keystroke tracking (Haynie & Moody, 2019) can all be added to online classes to help detect and prevent cheating.

 Reference

G2 (2023). Best plagiarism checker software. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from

https://www.g2.com/categories/plagiarism-checker

Haynie, D. & Moody, J. (2019). Think twice before cheating in online courses. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved on March 4, 2023, from http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2014/06/17/think-twice-before-cheating-in-online-courses

Jocoy, C., & DiBiase, D. (2006). Plagiarism by adult learners online: A case study in detection and remediation. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 7(1), 1-15. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database.

Walden University, LLC. (Producer). (2010). Plagiarism and cheating [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu