"Dealing With Plagiarists" by James M. Lang was such a timely read for me. Just this week, while grading essays where students had to write a character analysis, I caught a student who plagiarized.
I am all about giving students a second chance, especially at the high school level. I question the need to give students at the college level a second chance, but I liked the system developed by Lang and his colleagues.
When Lang decided to tackle plagiarism head on, he took the following steps:
1. He "reinforced orally in class" that plagiarism would not be tolerated.
I even take things a step further with my students. Oral reminders are great. But I have also developed a mini lesson that explains exactly what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. I feel that such a lesson can never be considered repetitive. Students from elementary school on should understand the concept.
2. During the course of the semester, Lang caught 3 students. Two of the students he failed for the semester. However, this didn't sit well with him.
I, too would have a hard time failing a student for the entire semester. I have developed an assignment for first time offenders, allowing students to gain back points lost for the plagiarized assignment. The assignment can be viewed here:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc3wfv2s_25qr5kcbg5
By using this assignment, I am hope I am teaching students a valuable lesson. I want them to be held accountable. I could just have them redo the original assignment or offer an alternative that's similar to the first, however, this seems to suit my needs well.
Returning to the student who plagiarized this week, she opted not to do the above assignment and take a zero for the essay. She didn't want to share what she did with her parents and the principal.
3. Lang mentioned a flaw in his plan- "It works only if all of my colleagues are doing it".
I agree with him on this 100%! Fortunately, iQ teachers are very responsible when it comes to dealing with plagiarism. Our school has an Intranet that lists all students and allows teachers to post and email comments regarding any student. Teachers have been very good about posting when a student cheats.
I am sure there's always a student who get away with it. I hope I am doing my best!
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1 comment:
Amy:
I hope the rest of our class takes a look at the document you created for first time offenders who plagiarize. That would make anyone think twice. Interesting that one student would rather take a "0" than answer those questions.
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