Preventing plagiarism through assignment design

Laura Barrett, Undergraduate Services Librarian

John Holmes, Reference/Instruction Librarian

Tish Lopez, Director, Odegaard Writing & Research Center

Sara Seely, Masters candidate, UW Information School

Becky Rosenberg, Director, UW Bothell Teaching and Learning Center

Workshop Objectives

Participants will … expand their understanding of plagiarism in

academic contexts. practice shifting their focus to learning and away

from cheating when making pedagogical decisions about their research and writing assignments.

identify strategies for designing research and writing assignments that minimize potential for plagiarism and maximize potential for deep learning.

identify campus learning services that may provide intellectual support for their students’ research and writing activities.

Talking Plagiarism

Informaldiscourse

Unintentional plagiarism

Cheating

Crib notes

Texting

Cell phone

Purchased

term

paper

Many

course

lectures

Unacknowledged

sources

Inaccurate assumption

ofcommon

knowledge“Our speech

is filled to overflowing

with the words of others.”

M.M. Bakhtin

Patchwriting

Based on the work of Dr. Russell Hunt, St. Thomas University

The new learning environment

Internet/technologies First generation students Academic culture Intellectual property/copyright laws International students Collaborative learning

Types of plagiarism Accidental Plagiarism: Most plagiarism is

accidental; the plagiarizer does not deliberately represent someone else's work as their own.

Direct Plagiarism: This type of plagiarism happens when a person uses sections of a source word for word without citing the original source.

Intentional Plagiarism: Intentional Plagiarism occurs when a person deliberately takes another's work and represents it as their own.

Mosaic Plagiarism: Mosaic Plagiarism occurs when a person uses words or groups of words and sentence structure to paraphrase the original source.

Self Plagiarism: This occurs when a person submits their own work on more than one occasion.

Academic Writing Expectations

Show you have done

your research Write something new

and original but

Appeal to experts

and authorities Improve upon or disagree with experts

and authorities

Emulate what you hear and read to improve your English and writing skills

Use your own words,

your own voice

but

but

Purdue University Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html

1. How to find and develop research questions and claims

2. How to find sources3. Why to find sources4. How to work sources into a paper5. How to manage sources6. How to cite sources7. How to establish rhetorical context: a

role, an audience, and a purpose8. How to follow the disciplinary report

format

What skills go into a research paper?

ASSIGNMENT DESIGNSpecial Topic: Discouraging Plagiarism

SCAFFOLD ASSIGNMENTS

Break down assignment, with elements due and reviewed (either by faculty or in peer groups)

EXAMPLE: Research Paper Class Discussion: How to find and develop research

questions Annotated bibliography assignment Thesis + outline in-class workshop *or* required writing

center visit Provide a mini-lesson or handouts on effective source

integration and/or citation guidelines appropriate to the discipline

1st draft peer review Final draft due

VARY AND/OR SPECIFY ASSIGNMENTS Specify/vary voice, audience, and purpose Make assignments problem-based (not just topic-

based) Make assignments specific with an unusual twist (or

have students choose one from a list of several specific problems)

Require an argument (not just a report) Limit sources to those published within the last (---)

months if appropriate to the problem Have students incorporate some information or data

set that you have provided Openly post all resources students collect on a

course website

EMBED ASSIGNMENTS

Embed assignments in course theme and materials

Prescribe use of one or more particular sources (especially one you used in class).

Consider establishing a course theme, and then allow students to define specific questions about that theme so that they become engaged in learning new ideas and begin to own their research

DOCUMENTING PROCESS

Require copies of source material Process note on group activities Require an annotated bibliography

ahead of time, complete with call numbers for books and journals and complete URLs for web resources

Require a “low stakes” response paper/research update

MODELING

Model movement from source to patchwriting, summary, paraphrase, integration into text with appropriate referencing and provide opportunities to practice (e.g. using peer groups/peer tutors)

Support each step of the research and writing process with samples

PROVIDE CHECKLISTS

Provide checklists that outline the required elements you are seeking

Example: Support Evidence Paragraph Checklist: Are my supporting evidence topic sentences strong? Do they

make clear the point I am trying to prove, explain or support as well as connect back to my thesis?

Do I effectively explain my topic sentence? Do I effectively introduce my quote or paraphrase – either by

referring to the author of the quote or providing a lead in/context to the quote?

Do I adequately cite the quote or paraphrase (“aaa aaaaaa” (Doe 544).)

Do I unpack the quote/paraphrase? In others words, do I explain what the author is arguing in my own words?

Do I explain how the quote or paraphrased used works to prove, support, or explain the point I am trying to make in the topic sentence of this paragraph?

Do I have an effective concluding sentence that sums up the point I am trying to make in this paragraph and reasserts how this paragraphs works to prove, support, or explain my thesis?

ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Marty Patton, Campus Writing Program, University of Missouri:

“Require a meta-learning essay on the due-date, asking students to describe what they learned, what problems they encountered, what research strategies they used, and where they located most of their sources”

ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Council of Writing Program Administrators: Develop schedules for students that both

allow them time to explore and support them as they work toward defined topics

Support each step of the research process Ask students to draw on and document a

variety of sources Show students how to evaluate their sources Focus on reading

ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Teach students what plagiarism is Create an assignment that examines

university policy Acknowledge and address ambiguity Model appropriate practice in area of study Help students distinguish between

cheating, non-attribution and patchwriting

ACTIVITY

Restructuring Your Assignment!

INSTRUCTIONS

Get into groups of 3-4 Introduce yourself (name, department,

courses you teach) Select an assignment that your group would

like to work on Describe the assignment—what does it ask

students to do? Brainstorm methods for promoting learning

while minimizing plagiarism (see checklist) Be prepared to report your group’s finding

ACTIVITY: QUESTION #1

What are the learning goals for the assignment?

Consider the eight abilities associated with a research paper:1. How to find and develop research questions and

claims2. How to find sources3. Why to find sources4. How to work sources into a paper5. How to manage sources6. How to cite sources7. How to establish a rhetorical context, a role, an

audience, and a purpose8. How to follow the disciplinary report format

ACTIVITY: QUESTION #2

What are the elements that are particularly challenging to students? What are the elements that might lead

them to plagiarize—intentionally or inadvertently?

ACTIVITY: QUESTION #3

What can you integrate into the assignment to support students through the challenges, enhancing their learning and discouraging plagiarism?