Bob Perry EFYE

Academic Misconduct: so what do your first year

students think? 3rd European Conference on the First Year

Experience

Bob Perry May 2008

Bob Perry EFYE

Today’s proposed coverage

Background Some findings Some ideas for framing our

understanding What’s happening in

Wolverhampton?

Bob Perry EFYE

Background Staff concerns/ Predominant emphasis

on detection/ UWBS Policy without the input of students “What are students’ attitudes towards &

understanding of “plagiarism” &“collusion” & what factors do they see as contributing to such practices?”

Phase 1 Literature review plus pilot study: Questionnaire 30 questions, 3 pages.

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Background to Plagiarism: its clear enough isn't it?

……….dishonesty,… cheating……..no different to theft?

Bob Perry EFYE

Plagiarism: “passing off someone else’s work,

whether intentionally or unintentionally, as your own for your own benefit” (Carroll, 2002, p.9).

Bob Perry EFYE

Plagiarism: “passing off someone else’s work,

whether intentionally or unintentionally, as your own for your own benefit” (Carroll, 2002, p.9).

Intent=unwitting plagiarism if punished/ challenged this is not a

positive student experience!

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Some Potential categories(?):

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Plagiarism: academics may be sure that they “know what

plagiarism is when they see it” ….but further discussion soon reveals

“considerable variation in understanding”. Carroll and Appleton (2001 p.4)

Plagiarism is defined as ‘incorporating a significant amount of unattributed direct quotation from, or unattributed substantial paraphrasing of, the work of another’. http://asp.wlv.ac.uk/level5.asp?level5=5563

significant amount? substantial?

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It can be confusing…. “conventions formulated &

interpreted differently across institutions” Bennett (2005,p.138)

different interpretations amongst University groups Leask (2006)

different interpretations between individual lecturers are also likely to exist?  

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…………..but let’s not go there…………  

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And now the interesting bits……….

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Some findings:The population profile

477 valid completed questionnaires 355 undergraduate, 122

postgraduate Including 232 first year students

69% previously studied in UK

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It’s not for me doctor, it’s my friend…..

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Are you Chris?The low down cheats…

deliberate plagiarism: 10% had looked for essays online only 7% of first years (3% PG)

admitted to it, but 17% (8%) knew someone who had.

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“I do not like it that 1st year students take assignments

from 2nd. Year students (from friends). It is not fair because I study and organise my nights

to finish my work.”

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“I strongly disagree with copying other peoples work but I have been approached by other students when work is due in as they are hoping to copy.”

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Ooops, I did it again……

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Are you Al?Confused of Wolverhampton

accidental plagiarism: rife many misunderstandings 14% not sure whether they had

plagiarised work or not. students “unsure” whether copying

only one or two sentences into their own work without acknowledging the source was okay or not

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“Harvard referencing is not easy to use and this leads to accidental plagiarism…...”

“Sometimes I feel ‘what if I have’ and get somewhat stressed… because I think I might have forgotten to reference a piece of the work.”

“….sometimes you are plagiarising but not really aware of it.”

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A question

When is group work not group work?

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I thought you wanted team work…

collusion: 14% first years submitting work as

their own but had worked on it with others (other years higher!)

“student sharing” reflected by the fact that 2% admitted to copying someone elses work yet 9% had allowed someone to copy their work.

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“I gave them the work to help them out as they were

struggling but they ended up copying parts of my work.”

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“(in) some subjects students are advised to help one another but it is not

plagiarism…”

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I wanted my assignment to look “cutting edge…”

12% had looked for essays online. Bogus referencing an issue?

17% admitted avoiding putting basic textbooks on reference list although they had used them,

13% admitted to both changing dates & making up references

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“I have personally heard first year students laughing about the fact that they haven’t put

down the correct website address as the lecturer would see that their work was copied

straight from the web”.

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Pulling the wool………….

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“naming basic textbooks would look stupid”

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“Why are textbooks not allowed to be referenced despite (the fact that) they are academic

work done by somebody. Why are we restricted to school academic journals alone?”

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How was it for you?

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From elephants to goldfish…

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Goldfish memories or what? Only 36% could remember being

taught about plagiarism Only 42% could remember being

taught on how to avoid plagiarising.

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Making sense of:

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Finding Chris and Al…… Significant variables affecting

academic misconduct? Academic integration Study skills effectiveness Satisfaction Goal orientation Religiousity Fear Peer influence Attitude to subject Age/ gender/Course studying/ if studied in

UK before

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Cheating Chris………(based on “killer questions” responses) Male, undergraduate Lower levels of goal orientation & academic

integration than their peers, in particular not sure if they want to get the very

best module grades or “just pass” failing their course would be less of a disaster

than for others, they consider cheating less of a risk, unsure whether plagiarism is a major offence

which needs to be harshly punished, consider themselves a less religious/ moral

person than their peers do.

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Uncertain Al………(based on unsure response) Male Even lower levels of goal orientation and

academic integration than Chris. Unsure on most aspects, except that they want to get the best grades they can.

Generally find students and staff less friendly than their peers do.

They are unsure whether plagiarism is a major offence that needs to be harshly punished

more likely to plagiarise if everyone else is. They consider cheating less of a risk, and “rule

bending” more acceptable than their peers

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Some ideas……………

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A clue from Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)…..

Treasure Island Jekyll & Hyde …………….and prayers and

devotionals

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A clue from Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)…..

“…………………accept us, correct us, guide us, Thy guilty innocents…….”

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The ABCD Academic misconduct matrix: A framework for understanding student typologies

©Bob Perry 2007

Accidental infringers Blameless innocents

A B

C D

Cheats Desirables

Not at all Completely

Playing the rules of the game

superficial understanding

Understanding the rules of the

game

Mature understanding

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The ABCD Academic misconduct matrix: Institutional responses

©Bob Perry 2007

Accidental infringers Blameless

innocents

Prevention: advice, awareness strategies

A B

C D Detection policies,

penalties, prosecution

Reinforce attitudes/

understandingCheats Desirables

Not at all Completely

Playing the rules of the game

superficial understanding

Understanding the rules of the

game

Mature understanding

Bob Perry EFYE

What’s happening locally……………

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……… Findings reflected in the Undergraduate

portfolio revalidation University working party

revised definitions, new policy Students Union/ Office of the Dean of Students

guide “How to avoid Academic Misconduct” University detection guide for all staff School Anti Plagiarism Coordinator trained in

the use of Tunitin software. Requirement on students to complete

submission front sheet with all assignment work including signing a positive declaration