Photo Courtesy of The Sin of Plagiarism
According to a 2011 Pew Research Center report, “The Digital Revolution and Higher Education,” 55% of college presidents agree that plagiarism has been on the rise for the past 10 years. In addition, 90% of the presidents who agreed to the above statement say that computers and the Internet are the reasons for the increase.
The reason for this may be due to the misconception that the Internet is a free for all for information, according to a New York Times article, A Campus Fad That’s Being Copied: Internet Plagiarism Seems on the Rise. Management Professor Donald McCabe at Rutgers University interviewed 18,000 students for this study.
“There are a lot of students who are growing up with the Internet who are convinced that anything you find on the internet is public knowledge and doesn’t need to be cited, Professor McCabe said (Rimer, 2003, para 5).
With an increase in online classes, the risk for plagiarism increases for college classes, according to an Internet study “Cheating in Online Courses and Randomized Response Method.”
“The university at the undergraduate level sounds like a place where cheating is as an academic skill is almost as important as reading, writing, and math.” –Moffat (in Maw et. al).
Is there a solution?
Digital storytelling is one solution to plagiarism. With digital storytelling, students have to use voiceover and pictures to produce an assignment, instead of writing out their answers. This method still allows students to gain the research, writing and thinking skills, but at the same time takes away the opportunity to steal others’ work.
It is important for students to be aware what plagiarism is and to check the plagiarism policy at their school. In addition, students should not be afraid to ask questions or for help on their assignments.
An International Plagiarism Conference is set to take place in the UK July 2012. This conference will address plagiarism in schools and offer approaches to handle plagiarism in today’s world.
If you are interested in teaching 4th-8th grade students about the seriousness of plagiarism in your school, please visit Adina’s Deck.
Resources:
Rimer, S (2003, Spetember 3). A Campus Fad That’s Being Copied: Internet Plagiarism Seems on the Rise New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2011 from
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60F10F9395C0C708CDDA00894DB404482
Maw, M, Nowell, C and Grijala, G. “Cheating in Online Courses and Randomized Response Method.” Internet. Retrieved September 24, 2011 from
Youth Internet Safety 