“Simon says jump up and down. Simon says touch your toes…” As a child, I considered a game of “Simon Says” as an ultimate test of my attentiveness and listening skills to insure I did not react unless the magic words were spoken. The ability to focus was critical for me and I believe, to a certain degree, has helped me professionally. Milton Bradley launched the electronic game Simon in 1978 based on the original “Simon Says” concept. (www.1up.com) Termed as the “Game Boy of it’s day” (boardgamegeek.com) Simon was a simplistic hit game which still remains in production today.
In each gaming situation, copying or taking someone else’s instructions, directions and information are designated parts of the game. When used in terms of professional work or ideas, terms like copyright and intellectual property take the fun out of the game. As I continue my journey in designing effective online instruction, my original thoughts of plagiarism brought to mind terms like taking, copying and borrowing. However plagiarism is more than just a game of Simon Says. By definition, plagiarizing means to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own; use (another’s production) without crediting the source; to commit literary theft; present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source. (www.merriam-webster.com) As noted on the website www.plagiarism.org, it is “an act of fraud” that “involves both stealing someone else’s work and lying about it afterward.” (n.d.)
I believe in any educational setting (online, blended, face-to-face (F2F)), plagiarism, copyright and intellectual property will always be topics of concern. As I focus my attention on the online aspect, strategic design, the use of software and a change in how assessments are given can provide some relief for dealing with these focal points. First and foremost, educating our participants is essential. Hinders (n.d.) notes that many are unaware of their “bad” behavior and without a defined agreement of what constitutes the act of plagiarizing is not helping the situation. (freelance-writing.lovetoknow.com) In some instances, the “motivation” to use this form of cheating “can start as early elementary and middle school” students and expands as the student grows. (oedb.org, 2010) By starting at an early age, educating students on the various forms of plagiarism can help curb bad habits as students progress.
Proper education can help build the foundation. In each case though, proper support tools and mechanism can help to manage the process. By utilizing sites like Turnitin.com and the SafeAssign Tool in Blackboard, educators and students can quickly learn the steps, as noted by Turnitin.com (n.d.) of “providing better - and faster - feedback to students.” (turnitin.com/static/resources) These tech tools provide great support but simple modifications of a teacher’s pedagogical processes can also yield positive results.
For example, instructors can provide clear explanations about the assignment, can shift the focus to the research and writing processes (proper citations and multiple drafts are examples) and sharing the ramifications for plagiarizing. (faculty.millikin.edu, n.d.) As an instructor, I would focus on increasing the rigor associated with the assignment. Change the fundamental assessment requirements so that students must demonstrate their understanding of the content versus simply producing information. As noted on the Faculty Plagiarism support page from Millikin University, “broad topics that require a term paper” may invite students to cheat. (n.d.) By narrowing the focus, elevating the assessment requirements (compare and contrast for example) or demanding more creativity which prevents information from being Googled (www.plagiarismtoday.com, 2015), students will be forced to develop original content with properly supported resources.
As our students continue to develop their use of technology to support their education, facilitators (online and otherwise) can use 21st skills to support the process. When working with others on projects and assessments, the moral compass and belief systems of others can impact the chances of plagiarism. McCord (2008) notes “fellow students are intolerant of plagiarism.” (laulima.hawaii.edu, p.45)
Given the fact that a 2007 poll revealed that 60.8% of the 30,000 respondents confessed to some form of cheating on assignments and tests, the issue is not going away. (oedb.org, n.d.) In order to combat the issue, we must first reassess the steps needed for change. Simon Says is very simplistic. However, winning the game requires a strategic approach for insured success.
MFABRAMS - ID ArchiTECH
References
8 Astonishing Stats on Academic Cheating [Blog] (December 19, 2010) Retrieved from http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/8-astonishing-stats-on-academic-cheating/
Answers to Questions Students Ask About Turnitin (n.d.) Retrieved from https://turnitin.com/static/resources/documentation/turnitin/sales/Answers_to_Questions_Students_Ask.pdf
Definition: plagiarize (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarize
Hinders, D. (n.d.) Plagiarism statistics. Retrieved from http://freelance-writing.lovetoknow.com/Plagiarism_Statistics
Resources for Preventing and Detecting Plagiarism (n.d.) Retrieved from http://faculty.millikin.edu/~mgeorge/plagiarism/
Plagiarism in Academia in 2015 (September 1, 2015) Retrieved from https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2015/09/01/plagiarism-in-academia-in-2015/
McCord, A. (2008) Improving online assignments to deter plagiarism. Retrieved from https://laulima.hawaii.edu/access/content/group/fb8c10fd-5445-420b-0034-bad118df6196/TeachingResources/DeterPlagiarismMcCord2008.pdf
Simon through the Years: A review by dickclarkfan1 [Forum] (August 27, 2013) Retrieved from https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/1028920/simon-through-years-review-dickclarkfan1
Simon Turns 30 (n.d.) 1Up.com. Retrieved from http://www.1up.com/features/simon-turns-30?pager.offset=1
What is plagiarism? (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/what-is-plagiarism/
Building instructional content, one byte @ a time.
