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Forgive me dear Kim and all - I haven't been following this thread closely - but do you precede work on referencing with work on good writing/thinking/learning practice? Framing this referencing work in terms of either academic integrity or plagiarism avoidance feels very negative to me, i.e. based on assumptions of dishonesty or deficiency. I prefer to tackle referencing by concentrating primarily on critical thinking and the great principles of standing on the shoulders of giants so that people quickly start to understand the process of enquiry and what's expected of them intellectually in HE, i.e. why they are actually reading. Attached is one of the things I use to illustrate this. I find that helping people appreciate the point of referencing enables them to tackle the pragmatics of it: once they know why they are doing it (for meaning-making), it becomes clearer how to do it (when to refer to others' work and where to insert citations to differentiate others' material from their own reasoning). Isn't that the secret to helping them develop patience for (and even interest in!?) the tiresome, time-consuming detail of it? So our real challenge is surely how to help them turn their 'This is the way to do things', on the one hand, or 'Jones says this, Smith says that and Jones says the other' on the other hand, into 'Jones says this, which is useful in context x because... Although... And Smith finds... However...'. Best, Eloïse Learning Development with Plymouth University www.learningdevelopment.plymouth.ac.uk<http://www.learningdevelopment.plymouth.ac.uk/> From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kim Shahabudin Sent: 21 February 2013 12:28 To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Referencing 'tests' for new students Thanks Michelle - and everyone else that responded to my query, on- and off-list. I'm finding two things especially interesting. First, that so many institutions have introduced, or are considering, mandatory tests as part of induction; second, that these are so often framed in terms of academic integrity, rather than plagiarism avoidance. I'm very much inclined to agree with this second notion - in fact we purposely framed our own project in terms of independent learning practices to try and avoid a narrow focus on referencing and plagiarism (which often results in a dependence on the 'how to write a citation' type resources). It's been a really valuable discussion for me, and certainly given me some useful support for recommending this strategy. I've got one more question for those who have either put tests at induction into place already, or are considering it: is the drive for this coming from learning developers, senior management, academics, or others? Thanks, Kim ________________________________ Dr Kim Shahabudin, FHEA, Study Adviser, Study Advice & Maths Support 1st floor The Library, Whiteknights, University of Reading, RG6 6AE * 0118 378 4645 * www.reading.ac.uk/studyadvice<http://www.reading.ac.uk/studyadvice> twitter: @unirdg_study Please note that I now work part-time and am not usually on campus on Mondays and Tuesdays ________________________________ From: Michelle Schneider [[log in to unmask]] Sent: 21 February 2013 11:46 To: 'Kim Shahabudin'; [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Subject: RE: Referencing 'tests' for new students Hi Kim At Leeds University we have just been involved in a pilot project where all first year undergraduates were required to complete an Academic Integrity Tutorial followed by a quiz. I won't go into details about the mechanics of all this but if you do want to know more about the admin and set up etc please feel free to email me! What I did want to share however, was the approach we took with the actual tutorial. Rather than plagiarism being the starting point and focus of the resource, it in fact became the end point. The emphasis was on "academic integrity" and sending a positive message that developing good academic skills is the basis of avoiding plagiarism. The tutorial brings together referencing, with other academic skills: reading and note-making, paraphrasing, summarising and using quotations, working with others. The tutorial is available here: http://library.leeds.ac.uk/tutorials/integrity/generic/. We actually have three versions, here are the Harvard and Numeric specific version: Harvard: http://library.leeds.ac.uk/tutorials/integrity/harvard/ Numeric: http://library.leeds.ac.uk/tutorials/integrity/numeric/. Unfortunately the success or otherwise of this project has not yet been evaluated! A major issue we have had at Leeds with referencing, which I know is also common at other universities is that students are often being given contradictory and confusing advice about how they should reference by the Library, their Schools and even between individual tutors. Last year myself and a colleague Dan Pullinger wrote a paper for the University's Taught Student Education Board recommending the rationalising of referencing systems and advice across the University, both to improve the student experience and ensure students are marked in a fair and equitable way. The University agreed a policy which meant that Schools must select a single referencing style for use by all taught students. In a few cases, two styles were permitted. All schools must also use standardised Leeds version of systems if available or direct students to a single, official guide for their style. We are currently surveying students and academics to see whether the policy is being implemented effectively and to assess what impact it is having. Sorry, I seem to have just rambled on a bit there! I hope some of it helps! Best wishes, Michelle Michelle Schneider Academic Skills Development Officer 15 Blenheim Terrace University of Leeds LS2 9JT T 0113 34 35527 W http://library.leeds.ac.uk/people/Michelle-Schneider http://twitter.com/skills_library Consider the environment. Please don't print this email unless you really need to. From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kim Shahabudin Sent: 15 February 2013 12:02 To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Subject: Referencing 'tests' for new students Dear all, I'm currently working on a project on teaching referencing and avoiding plagiarism. One of the big problems we keep seeing is a failure of students to engage with referencing guidance early on in their academic career, then developing bad habits which are difficult to break later on. A recommendation we are considering is to provide the incentive to engage early by having a compulsory 'test' or quiz, with guidance as to where the answers might be found. I've been told by various people that other institutions already do this - Bath and Nottingham were two institutions mentioned, and I know Huddersfield are also putting something similar in place. If your institution uses a strategy of this sort, I'd be really grateful for any information on what you do, how it works, and whether you think it's effective. I'm sure other people on the list would also be interested, but do contact me directly off-list if you're prefer. Happy Friday! Kim ________________________________ Dr Kim Shahabudin, FHEA, Study Adviser, Study Advice & Maths Support 1st floor The Library, Whiteknights, University of Reading, RG6 6AE * 0118 378 4645 * www.reading.ac.uk/studyadvice<http://www.reading.ac.uk/studyadvice> twitter: @unirdg_study Please note that I now work part-time and am not usually on campus on Mondays and Tuesdays