Tools to improve student writing Michael Sukowski, M.Ed. Assistant Professor—Instructional Design & Technology

CUC Honor Code Statistics: Academic Year 47 alleged Honor Code violations reported 17 involved graduate students Cases involved 44 students 15 were graduate students 3 had multiple offenses 2 were graduate students 6 hearings were held 3 were for graduate students

CUC Honor Code Statistics: Academic Year Most violations involved plagiarism Some cases were minor Few sentences that were not cited and/or quoted Some cases were major Copying entire paragraphs or entire papers

CUC Honor Code Statistics: Academic Year Majority of incidents were by students who tried to cite properly Thought they knew the proper way Tried to the best of their knowledge Small portion clearly knew they were plagiarizing and tried to get away with it.

A proactive response to plagiarism Spend time at beginning of term Discuss standards of academic scholarship Discuss standards of academic conduct Describe acceptable and unacceptable behavior Give examples of: Plagiarism Impermissible collaboration Other practices relevant to your class If necessary: Define cheating, plagiarism

A proactive response to plagiarism Make sure students know criteria for evaluating their performance Develop a climate and group norms that support honesty Learn to recognize signs of stress in students

A proactive response to plagiarism Ensure equal access to study materials Utilize Blackboard and/or the CUC Portal Make students feel they can succeed in your class without cheating

A proactive response to plagiarism Discuss copyright and intellectual property rights Discuss APA format If you suspect students of plagiarism, confront them directly After contacting Kathe Heetel, Director of the Honor Code System

A proactive response to plagiarism Know the tools available Focus on ethics Provide leadership Cite all of your resources Structure assignments so students cannot readily cheat Bibliographic citations

Know student favorites Where do most students look for info?

Available in the CUC Library Some tools to use Kathe Heetel, M.Ed. Director of the Honor Code System

Resources Alsop, G., & Tompsett, C. Plagiarism: Online Tools to Relieve the Tedium of Detection. Retrieved July 14, 2008, from rism.htm rism.htm Bailey, J. (2007). The 20 Best Free Anti- Plagiarism Tools. The Blog Herald, Blogosphere News.

Beck, E. On-Line Plagiarism: Fighting the Good Fight. Retrieved July 18, 2008, from e/print/63 e/print/63 Groark, M., Oblinger, D., Choa, M. Term Paper Mills, Anti-Plagiarism Tools, and Academic. Educause.

Humes, C., Stiffler, J., Malsed, M. Examining Anti-Plagiarism Software: Choosing the Right Tool. Retrieved July 14, 2008, from http: ning Anti.htm ning Anti.htm The CMC Anti-Plagiarism Software Survey. Lathrop, A. (2005). Guiding students from cheating and plagiarism to honesty and integrity: strategies for change. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Lipson, C. (2004). Doing Honest Work in College: How to Prepare Citations, Avoid Plagiarism, and Achieve Real Academic Success (Chicago Guides to Writing and Publishing). Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. SafeAssign Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved July 14, 2008, from eAssignFAQ.htm eAssignFAQ.htm