Wicked Problem: Plagiarism
Wicked Solution: PlagiarismBeGone website
Wicked Presentation geared toward students: Xtranormal video
My Wicked Need:
My Wicked Problem has nothing to do with the discipline that I teach. But, my Wicked Problem does affect many students in my classes. Students plagiarize. Often. This has become such a prolific occurrence, that I need to find a solution to this Wicked Problem.
Through a survey I conducted, I found out that half of my current students haven't learned about plagiarism and how to avoid it in a formal setting. My students are adults in college, and I am just stunned at the lack of education on this topic prior to enrolling in college courses. When I think about it, this just isn't my Wicked Problem, it is a Wicked Problem for our entire society as we neglect to educate students on the purpose of copyright laws. Not guiding them in this regard causes confusion regarding plagiarism. Students don't seem to find value in avoiding plagiarism beyond their own personal consequences and even then, they are only careful to follow enough rules to avoid getting caught stealing the words and ideas of others.
This Wicked Problem is complicated in my case by the fact that I teach World Religion courses. I don't have the opportunity to take up a good deal of official class time to teach students about plagiarism. They are supposed to know this information prior to enrolling in college courses. This means that part of my problem is that my solution needs to stand apart from my current curriculum. I need a solution that can operate outside of our class lectures and assignments, yet be thorough enough to guide students in their own education regarding copyright law and avoiding plagiarism.
Additionally, my Wicked Problem is made more complex by the sheer volume of resources available to students and the low quality of many of those resources. It seems that students have difficulty finding the exact type of information they need amongst the voluminous amount of information on the internet. And, they have difficulty discerning which information is just right for their circumstances. Therefore, I feel that my solution must also provide students with curated information.
I have created a Weebly website in order to solve my Wicked Problem. The Weebly covers topics ranging from the definition of plagiarism, why we use citation methods and how to avoid plagiarism. The website is called PlagiarismBeGone and can be found at plagiarismbegone.weebly.com. I also created an Xtranormal video for my students to entice them to visit the site. I'm hoping this video will compel them to once and for all, understand plagiarism, learn how to avoid it, and strive to apply the correct methods of citation in all work they produce.
I chose this platform as the solution to my Wicked Problem because it solves the three aspects of my Wicked Problem of plagiarism. Firstly, the PlagiarismBeGone website educates students on the topic of plagiarism and why we need to avoid it. Secondly, it provides all the relevant information outside of my course curriculum, and thirdly, curates all this relevant information so that students don't engage in their own wayward searches on the topic.
The research I conducted on the method of teaching students about plagiarism provided some insightful material that helped me approach my Wicked Problem Project in a pedagogically strong manner. One source in particular struck a chord in me as it made such a solid connection between learner and teacher. This article was written by Jonathan Bailey titled "How to Teach 'Generation Plagiarism' About Plagiarism", in a publication called "Plagiarism Today". Mr. Bailey articulated that the best methods for instilling the importance of avoiding plagiarism stems from two core principles. First, it is necessary to remove the fear of committing plagiarism, so that students feel more comfortable in submitting work in the first place. Secondly, it is imperative to explain why the rules of proper citation are in place. All other articles I read provided some version of these ideas and this article summed it up very precisely. So, that is how I approached this project. My goal is to empower students to take matters into their own hands so they don't have to fear the dreaded plagiarism through the understanding of why we use all these rules of proper citation.
I drafted a plan. It is to require students to visit my PlagiarismBeGone website during the first week of courses and to make them responsible for the material through a written assignment. Students will need to write a short paper on some aspect of copyright law and actually use proper citation methods throughout the paper. I will also encourage them to use sources other than print, such as video and audio clips, screenshots, and the like, so they get practice citing all types of sources.
The website itself is made on Weebly, which allows the user intuitive functions and navigability. There are several pages and tabs titled: Plagiarism Defined; Terminology; Avoiding Plagiarism; Try It!, which is a page connecting the user to tutorials and videos; Citation Methods; Consequences of Plagiarism; a blog regarding the consequences of plagiarism; and a contact me page. These pages are the ones that I have implemented thus far based on the ideas from research regarding removing fear in students and instructing them on why avoiding plagiarism is necessary. These pages provide students with a simplified explanation of the concepts that make sense to one that has not been exposed to the topics of copyright and plagiarism in a formal manner. When I complete CEP 812, I plan on adding many more pages in order to provide even more in-depth information to students. I plan on including a printable checklist for students that they can use for their assignments that will help them identify if they have included all the necessary components of proper citation in order to avoid plagiarism. I will include a Creative Commons page as well, so that students themselves can engage in sharing their material with others, and vise versa. An example page will also be incorporated into the site in which students can view actual examples of proper and improper citation and try to properly cite themselves. And, I would like to include a page on public domain in an attempt to get students to understand what this concept means and how to know whether a source, phrase, fact, etc. is actually part of the public domain, or not, and what how to properly include this type of information in their own work.
Thus far, I feel that this project has been successful. I have had many students ask me follow-up questions regarding the information on the website, have accumulated some good feedback from them on a survey I sent them regarding the quality and usefulness of the PlagiarismBeGone website. If they are asking questions, they have read the material on the site and if they are telling me in the survey that the site has improved their general knowledge of plagiarism, then I feel this project is a success at this point. Also, at the time of writing this post, I have graded about half of the Mid-Term papers submitted from this group of students and have encountered zero incidents of plagiarism. That, in and of itself, was worth the effort in creating the website. Students have indicated that they will use the website throughout this semester to help guide them in preparing assignments, will use it in future semesters for the same reason, and would recommend the site to friends. Even if I can't reach every student, I feel successful in reaching many of them at this point. Next semester, I will know I am successful once I receive the first week assignments in which students write about copyright while having properly cited each and every source used in that copyright paper. Ahhhhh, how sweet success will be...still have my fingers crossed.
TPACK:
Technology/Pedagogy:
The PlagiarismBeGone Weebly site is available at all hours of day, which is more than can be said for the instructor. Students will have access to the information any time that it is needed, which will aid students in applying proper citation methods because they won't have to wait for an instructor's guidance. The Weebly site is intuitive in functionality and navigability, so students will easily be able to access information needed. Also, the information, on the Weebly site, is compartmentalized and presented as a formal, academic unit. The information can be used all semester, as well as in future semesters, after our course is completed. The website reduces the fear of plagiarism because plagiarism is defined in simple terms as opposed to being shrouded in mystery. Also, it also informs students why rules of citation need to be followed as a method for adhering to copyright laws.
Technology/Content:
The information on the PlagiarismBeGone website will serve students of multiple levels. Some students need just a bit of specific information regarding plagiarism or citation, while others need a more comprehensive education on the topic overall. The website meets the student where the student needs to be met. The information is available at the time it is needed and provides an in-depth coverage of the topic that couldn't be provided by an instructor in one meeting, email message or web conference. The Weebly provides a service to the student that is reliable and comprehensive.
Pedagogy/Content:
The goal is to erase the fear of plagiarism because the fear causes confusion, which compels students to plagiarize even more. Copyright, citation methods, and discussions ranging from the roots of the topic to the application will help reduce the fear because the students will understand why instructors require them to use proper citation methods. When students understand the root of the issue, which is ownership of words, then, they are more likely to conceptualize the need for proper citation methods. This seems to be a missing link between students and the avoidance of plagiarism. Also, students can depend on the material in the website because it is pertinent to their success in assignments, is available at the time they are composing assignments and is curated to ensure accuracy and dependability. Additionally, it provides them the opportunity to contact me to discuss any issues.
Implementation:
What surprised me the most in the implementation process of the PlagiarismBeGone website was the urgency of the need for a site. Plagiarism is rampant, as many of us know, but this is the worst plagiaristic semester I have ever encountered. Within the first two weeks of the semester, 1/4 of my students engaged in plagiarism on some level.
The bumps I encountered while implementing the site were related to the Weebly technology itself, especially the free version. I had envisioned the site to be filled with certain elements that Weebly didn't allow. I purchased a Weebly subscription so that I would have the ability to add such elements as audio clips. Even so, I would like it better if I could design the site more precisely, instead of just using the stacking method. I'd like to add elements on the entire screen, not being restricted to placing widgets and such on top of each other.
The delights of this implementation is that the ideas just kept flowing. Students sent me suggestions via the survey I sent them, and the list of new elements I want to add, just keeps growing. Students indicated that they would like more examples of inappropriate and appropriate citations, more exciting graphics, a discussion on what constitutes public domain, and the like. It is great that I can keep adding to the site to enhance its value for students. I made a more detailed podcast regarding the implementation, if you would like to have a listen.
Findings and Implications:
Although the PlagiarismBeGone website wasn't implemented as planned, as much of the information I intended on including, I couldn't execute prior to to the deadline of this assignment, I'm glad I had to publish what I did have ready. This provided information to students that urgently needed that information. Now I can add additional information over time without worrying that students are "stranded" without a reliable source of information regarding plagiarism.
I have seen evidence of success already. One such piece of evidence come in the form of remarks from students themselves. One student said, "I think she pretty much nailed everything there was to get about plagiarism. Everything from quoting to paraphrasing was mentioned including potential consequences of plagiarism that were initially considered harmless." This is a really good quote! My students are so eloquent...LOL! There is more. Another student said of the site, "I think that it pretty much covered plagiarism. Job well done Tracy!" How do I get such great students?
Additionally, I have seen an improvement in citation methods and Work Cited pages of students, have had many students email questions regarding their techniques indicating that they want to make sure they understand the rules and I have had much less plagiarism since the implementation of PlagiarismBeGone.
I wouldn't have changed anything about the implementation of the project as I learned from all the bumps in the road. I have changed my initial plan regarding how I will use this website. Initially, I thought I would use it on an "as needed" basis referring students to it when they plagiarized, or had questions regarding citation methods. Now, I am going to require students to work through this website as part of the first week curriculum. They will be responsible for the material through a required assignment. My view of the urgency of this Wicked Problem of plagiarism has changed throughout the course of working on this project, and I don't think it is fair to students to let them continue on in courses without this information. It is imperative they receive it.
I think we should approach all our Wicked Problems as projects. We can self impose deadlines, rubrics, and requirements in order to give structure to the project and get it implemented so that solutions can be found. Instead of always working around our problems, I think we should attempt to tackle them in a way that provides good pedagogy to our students. Many of our Wicked Problems can be solved by finding the sweet spot within Technology, Pedagogy and Content.
Sources:
Bailey, Jonathan, "Three Kinds of Plagiarism: Part 1", Plagiarism Today, N.p. 6, Sept. 2005. Web. Oct. 12, 2012
Bailey, Jonathan, "Three Kinds of Plagiarism: Part 2", Plagiarism Today, N.p. 4, Oct. 2005. Web. Oct. 12, 2012
Bailey, Jonathan, "Three Kinds of Plagiarism: Part 3", Plagiarism Today, N.p. 27, Oct. 2005. Web. Oct. 12, 2012
Bailey, Jonathan, "How to Teach 'Generation Plagiarism' About Plagiarism." Plagiarism Today, N.p. 24, Apr. 2010. Web. Oct. 12, 2012
Communication Across Curriculum/Plagiarism and Avoiding It, Illinois Institute of Technology, 2012. Web. Oct. 2, 2012
Hall, Jonathan, "Plagiarism Across the Curriculum: How Academic Communities Can Meet the Challenge of the Understood Writer", Across the Disciplines(Vol 2/Feb. 5, 2005). Web. Oct. 7, 2012
McCabe, Donald L. and Trevino, Linda Klebe, "What we know about Cheating in College", ProQuest Education Journals(Jan/Feb 1996). Web. Oct. 7, 2012
"Put an End to Plagiarism in your Classroom." Education World, N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 7, 2012
Paul Robeson Library/What is Plagiarism?, Rutgers University Libraries, 2012. Web. Oct. 2, 2012
"Real World Examples", The Library, UC San Diego, 2010, Web. Oct. 12, 2012
Vaughan Memorial Library/Writing a Paper & Citing Sources, Acadia University, 2011. Web. Oct. 2, 2012
Vaughan Memorial Library/"You Quote It! You Note It!", Acadia University, 2004. Web. Oct. 2, 2012
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