Cheating and Plagiarism

Cheating and Plagiarism Detection

What plagiarism detection software is available to online instructors?

There are many plagiarism detention software programs available. They vary in the price and the services available. But all allow work to be checked for plagiarism. Some of the most popular services are listed below (2012).

• Turnitin - the system that we use here allows students to submit work to be check and it can be submitted to insturctor at the same time. It works on a contract.
• Grammarly is free to the student to check for plagaiarism and gramamar. It does not collect work for instructors to grade.
• Copycatch is a a software that compares that work against work collected from a selected group of students.
• Other highly reviewed software are plagscan, checking for plagiarism, ithenicate, plagarism detection, academic plagiarism and the plagarism checker.

How can the design of assessments help prevent academic dishonesty?

As an instructor I can create assignments that encourage collaboration and are designed in such a way to discourage cheating. Palloff and Pratt (2012) explained that assessments should be designed as authentic assessment. They require the students to show what they have learned by applying their understanding of the content. These types of assessments are hard for students to cheat on.

If their needs to be exams I need to utilize test making software that reandomizes test questions and answer choices so the test is different each time it is accessed. There are also exam programs that allows to create a set number of questions but only use part of them for each test. For example I could created 50 multiple coice questions and then only have 25 randomly selected for each exam. This creates exams that do not all have the same questions so it is very difficult for students to cheat off each other.

What facilitation strategies do you propose to use as a current or future online instructor?

I would start off with assessments and assignments that include clear instrcutions so students understand what to do and not feel the need to try and plagarize another's work (Jocoy & DiBiase, 2006). Any information can be found on the internet so I would design assignments that require studnets to apply the knowledge they learn and not just give me back facts that they can easily copy from the internet.

It is also important to clearly define to students what cheating and plagiarism is. Many students are not clear where the line is and often plagiarize without an intention of cheating. I need to provide tools for students to help them understand how to summarize information in their own words and how and when to cite resources.

What additional considerations for online teaching should be made to help prevent or prevent cheating and plagiarism?

It is important to understand your students. If necessary I would need to provide a lesson on cheating and plagiarism to bring attention to it and help studens prevent becoming involved in the practice. Some students may need more help in this area and this is where knowing your students come into play.

References.

Overview of plagiarism software (2012). retrieved from http://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/assessinglearning/03/plagsoftsumm1.html.

Jocoy, C., & DiBiase, D. (2006). Plagiarism by adult learners online: A case study in detection and remediation. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 7(1), 1-15.

Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database.
Palloff, R. M. & Pratt, K. (2012). Plagiarism and Cheating. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_1971765_1%26url%3D

Impact of Multimedia on Online Learnign

Impact of Multimedia on Online Learning

What Impact does technology and multimedia have on online learning environments?

Recent advances in technology have opened the doors to new ways of proving content to students. We can now deliver video, audio, animations, interactive text, simulations and online assessments. We can deliver classes through various CMS. Students can access these websites on a computer, tablets and even their smart phones. The availability of these technologies can either positively or negatively affect student learning.

Often these technologies are used out of convenience as a way to entertain students or they are used by teachers because administration is pressuring them to use them. These situation will not lead to an increase in student learning (Tan et. Al. 2010). When implemented correctly multimedia can improve the online classroom environment by allowing access to more content in a more interactive interface. This will keep students engaged.

What are the most important considerations an online instructor should make before implementing technology?

Instructors must realize that there is more to creating an effective online course than merely uploading the  information online (Tan et.al., 2010). The instructor needs to make sure that the technology being used is meeting the needs of the course. Technology should not be used just because it is there, it needs to meet be used to meet the objectives of the course. The instructor needs to carefully choose tools and communication techniques that will not only engage students but will meet the needs and accessibility issues of the student populations. (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010).

What implications do usability and accessibility of technology tools have for online teaching?

We have to remember that technology availability varies among students. We need to select technology that is available to most of the newer computer or technology systems. For example there are technologies that can be used on iphone, ipads but not on an android powered device. There are also some web tools that are only for PC or windows and will not run on apple computers. This is something as an instructor you need to be aware of.

As an instructor it is also important to be aware of accessibility issues for  students with disabilities. This could including narratives of some to some of the written text. An instructor needs to be aware of backgrounds etc on the websites used for the classed. Many students with visual processing disabilities have difficulty reading black text on white backgrounds. Changing the backgrounds to a tan or yellow will make it accessible for these students with no additional changes needed to the content. Knowing the students will provide for dealing with accessibility issues.

What technology tools are most appealing to you for online teaching as you move forward in your career in instructional design?

I am interested in the K12 area of science. I have been using Junoed as a technology this year and the students like it much better than the textbook. Junoed lets me create lessons incorporating videos, animation, graphics text and audio. It also lets me create comprehension questions along the way to check for understanding. Students can work at there own pace through the lesson. It also allows me to create tests that are more interactive and interesting to the students.

I have just finished a unit where an option for their final project was glogster. Glogster is an online poster maker where students can incorporate multimedia into their poster.

Another technology that I find interesting is using a CMS. I have a classroom website with all the work but I am interested in transferring it into a CMS to better manage the assignments and class. I think the blogs and discussion would be a useful as a tool for an online class.

References

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The Online Teaching Survival Guide. Simple and Practical Pedagogical Tips. Jossey-Bass.

Tan, H, Wai-Jing Kwok, J., Neo, M., & Neo T. (2010). Enhancing student learning using multimedia and web technologies: Student’s perceptions of an authentic learning experience in a Malaysian classroom. Curriculum, technology & transformation. Retrieved from www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/sydney10/procs/Tan-full.pdf.