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  The Internet gives the edge to good guys in academic cheating

  http://www.smartmobs.com/2008/12/03/the-internet-gives-the-e...
  35 days ago in Smart Mobs · Authority: 351

  One of the digital age education whipping boys has long been that the Internet makes student cheating easier. An essay by Greg Forster called “Universities Wimp Out on Fighting Cheaters” sets this matter straight. as Forster writes: the technology edge is really for the good guys. This is the crux of it: Nowadays, everyone who’s concerned about academia talks incessantly about how computers and the Internet have made plagiarism so much easier. But not a lot of people are willing to talk (in public, at least) about the real source of the problem. Let’s be clear: computers and the Internet aren’t the problem. They’re a big net gain for the fight against cheating. They do make the act of plagiarism easier, in the sense that there’s a wider array of things available for copying, and it’s less work to hit “cut” and then “paste” than it is to copy things out by hand. But computers also make catching plagiarists easier — and the technological edge for the good guys is a lot bigger. There are some really impressive computer programs that will take your students’ essays one by one and search the web for similar text. Search engine technology is so powerful these days that it does an excellent job of rooting out plagiarism. You can’t even fool the machine by changing some of the words around — it can identify text that’s similar but not identical, allowing the teacher to compare the two and judge whether plagiarism has occurred. If you wanted to change the words around enough to escape detection entirely, you’d have to essentially rewrite the paper. In other words, you’d end up doing the assignment honestly in spite of yourself.

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    The Appalling State Of Higher Education

    http://www.transterrestrial.com/?p=15141
    35 days ago in Transterrestrial Musings · Authority: 160

    This is a depressing story about the inability to enforce rules against plagiarism, and the comments more so. I dont think it was this way when I was in school. And of course, its of a piece with a general decline of ethics among the young. And why

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      Plagiarism costs student $25,892.56

      http://www.blogher.com/plagiarism-costs-student-25-892-56
      32 days ago in BlogHer · Authority: 2,726

      Matthew Coster was expelled from Central Connecticut State University in 2006 for committing plagiarism. . . Except he wasn't really a plagiarist. A state judge has ruled that Coster was actually the victim of another student, Cristina Duquette, who stole Coster's paper from a mailbox, edited it into what their professor decided was a better paper, and turned it in as her own. Duquette, a 2008 graduate, must now pay Coster's $25,792.56 legal fees as well as $100 in damages, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription). According to The Chronicle's Sara Lipka, Both of the students and Professor [Ronald J.] Moss testified in the trial, as did several representatives of Central Connecticut State, including the chair of Mr. Coster's hearing panel, the director of the student-conduct office, and the former associate dean for student affairs. Over all, the trial involved significantly more evidence than was presented at the university's hearing. The judge reviewed the students' previous assignments, compared their final papers, and, with the help of technology consultants, examined the electronic histories of those documents as created and revised on the students' computers. Even though the university clearly failed to investigate the matter sufficiently, I couldn't help but smile when I read about Coster's and Duquette's dispute. Why? I enjoy catching plagiarists. It's sad, I know, but my heart races when I search Google for a phrase match from a student's paper and find it. It means more work for me, yes, as I then have to fill out a form reporting the student to the university, but I really can't stand cheaters. Plus, as I've learned all too often, plagiarists don't get irony. On the one hand, my first plagiarist was writing about turntablism, sampling, and remix culture, so perhaps I should have given him a commendation instead of a censure. On the other hand, within a week of each other I had two students in different classes plagiarize a paper that required (I'll explain in a minute) plagiarism and a bioethics paper. I'm not sure which is more ironic. The plagiarized paper was an assignment by Professor Bob Ostertag in a technocultural studies course. (Ostertag discusses the assignment, as well as other topics in teaching with technology, in a video on a UC Davis site.) The students were required to plagiarize every word of the paper while still writing an original biographic essay on an artist, musician, or new media artist or movement. In other words, they were to clip (and cite) from numerous online sources every phrase in their paper, stringing these clips together to form coherent sentences and paragraphs. It's not an easy task--but it does teach students a lot about writing. Yet I caught a student who stole his entire essay from a single source. Penalties for plagiarism vary from institution to institution, but in the U.S. the typical penalty for a first offender is a stern warning about academic dishonesty, a referral to the university's student judicial affairs office for counseling, and a grade of F or 0 on the plagiarized work. Repeat offenders risk expulsion. There are more unusual ways of bringing plagiarists to "justice." The Workplace Prof Blog reports on a case of an instructor who "humiliated" students for plagiarizing and lost his job as a result: Texas A&M International University in Laredo fired a professor for publishing the names of students accused of plagiarism. In his syllabus, professor Loye Young wrote that he would “promptly and publicly fail and humiliate anyone caught lying, cheating or stealing.” After he discovered six students had plagiarized on an essay, Young posted their names on his blog, resulting in his firing last week. “It’s really the only way to teach the students that it’s inappropriate,” he said. Young, a former adjunct professor of management information systems, said he believes he made the right move. He said trials are public for a reason, and plagiarism should be treated the same way. He added that exposing cheaters is an effective deterrent. This seems like a shaming method of punishment. Does it actually matter whether it works as an effective deterrent or is the medicine much worse than the disease? Pajamas Media explains why Young's approach is problematic. Young himself rebuts his critics. Patti at Rants from a Disruptive Feminist reflects on the case: Now, this professor's method probably wasn't the best or most mature way of dealing with cheaters. But what do you do with students who seem to have no respect for the system? I can imagine that as a professor, watching students unapologetically cheat and get away with it one semester after another, you might reach a level of frustration that would cause you to seek any new solutions you could think of. It may have happened before, but the Connecticut case is the first one I've found where one student sued another over a plagiarized paper. I hope the ruling gets more press, as it should serve as a warning to students to plan their assignments far enough in advance so they can avoid the temptation to copy and paste from other sources. What advice can I give students? It's simple: Don't plagiarize. By this I mean: Do not use the words or ideas of others without properly citing them. As an instructor, I want to hear your thoughts and ideas. Here are some additional resources on avoiding and combatting plagiarism: Bob Jensen's list of resources on plagiarism detection and exam cheating is a rich compilation of links and (properly cited) excerpts from other sources. Among the topics: admissions essay "consulting," the psychology of cheaters vs. non-cheaters, and the social/cultural construction of cheating. Definitely check it out. The Butler University library offers a tutorial on plagiarism for students. Patricia Harden asks--and provides tentative answers to--the question, What can we do about the plethora of plagiarism? Citing the discussion that followed a talk she gave at the University of Maryland University College, Harden writes, During the discussion, Dr. Lisa Khan, Assistant Dean of Communication, Arts, and Humanities in the School of Undergraduate Studies, spoke about some students who have argued charges of plagiarism with claims that they did not understand what plagiarism is—in spite of the fact that they are given ample instruction in this area. As faculty, it becomes incumbent upon us to ensure that our students are directed to the appropriate plagiarism and citation resources so that "ignorance of the law" contentions such as these do not become the norm, as they are not a justifiable defense. At the same time, however, students must take on the responsibility of actually reviewing these resources. Proper citation may be a tedious and difficult task, but many avenues are available to our students for becoming competent in this ever-important duty. Khan and Harding are on to something here. The most common response I've had from plagiarists is they play ignorant, claiming they don't understand what plagiarism is, or that they made a mistake in citation. Therefore, instructors at all levels--K-12 and university--must clearly define what constitutes plagiarism. What have been your experiences with plagiarism? Did you cheat in school? If so, what prompted it? Leslie Madsen-Brooks develops learning experiences for K-12, university, and museum clients. She blogs at The Clutter Museum, Museum Blogging, and The Multicultural Toybox.

      • Author unknown

        To Catch a Thief

        http://joebuckley.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/to-catch-a-thief/
        35 days ago in In Other Words · Authority: 2

        Or Not… Many years ago, but in a galaxy not that far distant, I taught physics and astronomy to undergraduates at a decently large university (perhaps you remember my name in the course catalog - I was Prof. Staff…).  Mostly it was a great job, with no heavy lifting.  My memories of those days are pleasant. But (you knew a “but” was coming, right?) there was one incident.  I caught a student cheating, red handed (he scored near perfectly on a multiple choice test, if I used the wrong key).  And it was not the first time (the first time involved the use of a symbol for a capacator that I had never seen before, except two minutes earlier on the sheet handed in by an A student.  Funny how a good number of other answers were the same, too).  My department chairman was made aware of the situation. I flunked the student on that test (it was one of five grades I gave, outside of the final exam, and I gave him a 0 on this one).  I watched the student.  For the final exam the person came in, holding a handkerchief and coughing.  ”I’m not well.” came the claim.  ”May I be excused?” “Sure.” I answered.  Just don’t expect to pass the class.  The student left. Grades were turned into the registrar, and sure enough, I was called into a meeting the next week with the department chairman and the school’s ombudsman, who was there to plead the student’s case. You’d think it would be open and shut.  Even without the proofs (plural) of cheating, which I had in hand, the history of warnings (records existed), and the fact that the course was not completed (no final exam), I was essentially told to give the student the lowest possible non-failing grade (in this case, a D).  There was a reason given.  The student faced deportation if I did not.  Pretty serious stuff. Ugly situation.  In one sense, I had no say in the matter.  I was not on a tenure track, so my career was not on the line.  But if I flunked the student it was made clear to me that the chairman would change the grade (and that if he did not, the school would, and he would no longer be chair).  A lowly adjunct prof. one year out of grad. school has no standing to even know the outcome of these things, much less have a say.  “There are bigger issues to be considered here.” you’re told. The attititude about cheating has changed since, thanks to the internet. But not for the better. The universal lament that the Internet makes it a huge challenge to catch cheaters is the opposite of the truth. Any college, department, or individual teacher who takes cheating seriously can easily obtain the means to catch cheaters. And that’s the rub. Catching cheaters is easy — if you want to catch them. But colleges nationwide have made a decision that cheaters aren’t their problem. As it now stands, the schools (universities and colleges) have insulated themselves by saying that detecting and punishing cheating is the sole responcibility of the instructor.  They’re not involved. The abdication of dealing with cheaters from the administrative to the individual teacher level is just another defensive measure. When a student flunked for cheating sues, the college isn’t responsible. And the fear of lawsuits only compounds the difficulty of what is already a difficult decision. Even with the strongest possible intellectual conviction that it’s the right thing to do, actually imposing a punishment on a fellow human being takes a certain amount of moral courage. It takes some guts. The isolation of the teacher as the lone defender of honesty in the classroom only makes it much more difficult to do the difficult but necessary thing when the time comes. It sort of looks to me that some students consider a passing grade to be their right (it’s somewhere in the constitution, right?)  And why not?  “They paid for that damn grade.” (They paraphrase Reagan alot). Greg Forster, who wrote the article I’m quoting, says that in the face of lawsuits and academic pressure, many in academia are chickening out.  He did.  I did. [D]oes anyone think that this is the optimal way to determine the punishment for cheating? Cutting teachers loose from all support and then seeing how far their individual moral courage holds up under pressure? Naw.  But someone has got to make a stand.  I was thinking just yesterday about the tragedy in Mumbai, and how it’s so necessary for someone to find the courage to make a stand.  I could have made a stand but didn’t, thirty years ago.  It would have taken much less courage than in India last week, and it probably would have not changed the outcome one wit.  But maybe one school would have been changed, a school that has graduated a few thousand cheaters since.

        • Author unknown

          PJM on Colleges - and PJM Column Authors - Who Lack the Guts to Punish Cheating

          http://jaypgreene.com/2008/12/03/pjm-on-colleges-and-pjm-col...
          35 days ago in Jay P. Greene’s Blog · Authority: 98

          (Guest post by Greg Forster) You may have heard about the Texas prof who was fired for publicly disclosing the names of students he caught cheating. Pajamas Media carries a somewhat confessional column today in which I discuss the role of the Internet (which, contrary to popular opinion, makes cheating harder rather than easier) and the rise of educational lawsuits (which colleges have responded to by abdicating their traditional disciplinary role), but also reflect, without satisfaction, upon my own experience dealing with a cheater: The fear of lawsuits only compounds the difficulty of what is already a difficult decision. Even with the strongest possible intellectual conviction that it’s the right thing to do, actually imposing a punishment on a fellow human being takes a certain amount of moral courage. It takes some guts. The isolation of the teacher as the lone defender of honesty in the classroom only makes it much more difficult to do the difficult but necessary thing when the time comes. And this, again, is something I can testify about from personal experience. I regret to say that when I confronted my cheater, I chickened out. What I ended up doing in the end, instead of what I had resolved to do and then didn’t have the courage to do, actually might be a good model for how to deal with a cheater. Of course, I’d rather have discovered it through intelligence rather than cowardice. As C.S. Lewis says, only fools learn by experience, but at least they do learn.

          • Photo of jbreck

            The Internet gives the edge to good guys in academic cheating

            http://www.goldenswamp.com/2008/12/03/the-internet-gives-the...
            35 days ago in Golden Swamp · Authority: 51

            One of the digital age education whipping boys has long been that the Internet makes student cheating easier. An essay by Greg Forster called “Universities Wimp Out on Fighting Cheaters” sets this matter straight. as Forster writes: the technology edge is really for the good guys. This is the crux of it: Nowadays, everyone who’s concerned about academia talks incessantly about how computers and the Internet have made plagiarism so much easier. But not a lot of people are willing to talk (in public, at least) about the real source of the problem. Let’s be clear: computers and the Internet aren’t the problem. They’re a big net gain for the fight against cheating. They do make the act of plagiarism easier, in the sense that there’s a wider array of things available for copying, and it’s less work to hit “cut” and then “paste” than it is to copy things out by hand. But computers also make catching plagiarists easier — and the technological edge for the good guys is a lot bigger. There are some really impressive computer programs that will take your students’ essays one by one and search the web for similar text. Search engine technology is so powerful these days that it does an excellent job of rooting out plagiarism. You can’t even fool the machine by changing some of the words around — it can identify text that’s similar but not identical, allowing the teacher to compare the two and judge whether plagiarism has occurred. If you wanted to change the words around enough to escape detection entirely, you’d have to essentially rewrite the paper. In other words, you’d end up doing the assignment honestly in spite of yourself. I also posted this message on SmartMobs.com. This whipping boy needs to be removed as a barrier to 21st century learning.

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