Taking this twisty thread in yet another direction, we might think about how fee-driven loans and the hegemonic narrative of employability and (narrowly-defined by grade achievement) success is contributing to the increase in instrumentality that most of us seem to be reporting in our students: and as a consequence, how much more likely it is that they will be prepared to do whatever they feel needs doing to achieve the grade/career they want, and to see it as justified?
Kim
Dr Kim Shahabudin, SFHEA, Study Adviser, Study Advice & Maths Support
University of Reading Library @ URS Building, Whiteknights, Reading
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From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sandra Sinfield
Sent: 21 June 2018 12:12
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Essay Banks - Providing creative learning and teaching approaches to deter students
There will always be cheaters; but we need I think to not have our thinking about preventing plagiarism and promoting academic integrity coloured only by the cheaters/cheating narrative.
If we do this we are creating a hostile and distrustful HE environment for all our students.
This week Gordon Asher shared with us a powerful blogpost on why there is no such thing as laziness:
It argues that what we perceive to be laziness or disengagement in students is often a proxy for a range of other things - including mental illness. I know that we have had students made homeless during a course ... without knowing a particular student's story - we cannot understand what is motivating their behaviour.
But if our default position is one of distrust, this not only further damages students who are undergoing quite severe problems, it creates really bad staff/student relationships.
When we tackled plagiarism on our first year course - we did it by first analysing 'Steal this poem' by Kevin Hodgson:
The poem itself was written as part of an online conversation, #rhizo14, The community is the curriculum - where one of the provocative themes was 'cheating as learning' - which attempted to problematise for us as tutors some of our own apprehensions and misapprehensions about students as well as about learning.
Once our students had analysed and discussed every aspect of the poem - and had conversations about learning, cheating and being a student - we invited them to write their own poetry on cheating and/or plagiarism. The results were powerful and moving.
The majority of the students that we teach are struggling with multiple commitments and very little time - they lack confidence with academic forms and processes... they often just get academic writing and attribution wrong... and their shame is overpowering.
Perhaps we need to embrace again the notion of the first year as the year of getting to grips with things - and see that errors of attribution are often just that - errors. Errors that can be discussed, corrected and resolved.
Obviously i am not speaking here of people who deliberately set out to cheat.
But we should not conflate those people and those approaches with people who are stumbling to find their feet and their voice; they should not be how we define and think and talk about, and to, all our students.
All best wishes,
Sandra
On 21 June 2018 at 11:49, Barry Poulter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I hadn't thought to do such a search on amazon, but it does illustrate a point.
Perhaps it should become required reading for those interested in invigilating to review potential products used to cheat? At least the prominence of marketing can be used against the companies themselves.
I don't know how much I believe we can deter students with any one approach - there have always been cheaters, and there always will be. What can deter these? Surely some will fall to gentle coaxing into the lands of self-worth and self-belief, while others will desist only when the fire and brimstone approach is prevailed upon them, but ultimately we are limited in what we can achieve with this approach. I favour the approach that tackling the root cause of cheating is the best way to go, whether this is a problem with written language, engagement or ignorance of the rules, and that is exactly what we are already doing.
Of those who willfully do not engage and cheat, most, if not all of these students are broadly aware that they are cheating when they do it, and will do so in spite of any deterrents set up.
As a footnote, I'm sure we all appreciate the irony that some of the careers that cheating students can get into end up developing even bigger cheaters (despite their claims around ethical/appropriateness concerns); as we've seen with the emissions scandals and political campaign mismanagement (I'm sure we can all think of others). I find myself wondering how much of a chicken/egg scenario this may be ...
Kind regards,
Barry Poulter
MA, TEFL-i, AFHEA
Professional and Academic Development Trainer
Professional and Academic Development Team
University of Bedfordshire
Luton
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From: learning development in higher education network <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Peter Hartley <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 21 June 2018 10:54:32
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Essay Banks - Providing creative learning and teaching approaches to deter students
Off on a slight tangent …
Some students are obviously checking out all sorts of strategies, e.g. the item on the Radio 4 ‘More or Less’ programme where a student asked how many topics they could safely revise to have a 90%plus chance of answering at least 3 questions out of the 12 on the examination paper.
Tim Harford explains how maths can help lazy students reduce their revision workload.
You may not wish to tell students the answer!
And if you look up ‘exam cheating tools’ on Amazon, you will find 17 PAGES of items. As well as revision guides and less dodgy items, there is an interesting range of devices - watches, pens, invisible earpieces etc - to make invigilation just that bit more challenging,
Best wishes
Peter
On 21 Jun 2018, at 10:04, Lee G Fallin <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I cannot believe a student actually wrote to newspaper consumer champions in hopes they were going to help fight for a refund!
Funnily enough, the site that last contacted me has a ‘Directors Notice on Social Responsibility’ proudly declaring they would not write for law, engineering, criminology, medicine, nursing, architecture and other professions as misuse by the customer could lead to fake or unearned degree. I’m not sure how they justify this statement when they clearly would write for many other subjects…
It annoys me that any site could event pretend to be responsible or ethical. What other purpose could someone have for a curated essay other than to cheat…
Best wishes,
Lee
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Lee Fallin | Library Skills Adviser | Skills Team
Brynmor Jones Library
University of HullHull, HU6 7RX, UK
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From: Hudson, Karen M <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 21 June 2018 09:56
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Essay Banks - Providing creative learning and teaching approaches to deter students
Hi – just a couple of thoughts from here:
I use this illustrative letter to the Guardian’s Money section as part of a full session on academic integrity and authorship – while I work with student nurses, not lawyers, it’s pretty effective in highlighting the pitfalls, academic, professional and financial, of using such sites.
I also use a couple of screengrabs from marketing tweets for these services, highlighting that they’re full of dodgy spelling and grammar – not only are these sites cheating, many also appear to be doing quite a poor job of cheating, and ripping students off in the process. The ‘absolute waste of your money’ angle seems every bit as powerful as any other.
I’m only aware of one approach to a professional in my School – a subject specialist lecturer who has been approached and offered work as an essay mill writer. Pleased to say they definitely picked on the wrong one there! I’ve been targeted by them on Twitter, generally within a few minutes of posting anything about my recent dissertation writing experience. We also tend to get them trying to join our staff-curated student social media groups, but they’re very swiftly kicked out if they do slip through.
Kind regards,
Karen.
Karen Hudson BA PGCE QTLS FHEA
Literacy, Language & Numeracy Tutor
School of Health & Social Care
University of Essex
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From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Kim Shahabudin
Sent: 20 June 2018 13:44
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Essay Banks - Providing creative learning and teaching approaches to deter students
Crossing two threads, a useful activity would be to get a critical group discussion going on articles like the one Sandie Donnelly just posted (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
education-43956001 ), with one group arguing for and another against, then a plenary discussion. Critical thinking and academic integrity boxes both ticked in one go.
Best wishes,
Kim
Dr Kim Shahabudin, SFHEA, Study Adviser, Study Advice & Maths Support
University of Reading Library @ URS Building, Whiteknights, Reading
0118 378 4242/5222 : www.reading.ac.uk/
library/study-advice twitter: @unirdg_studyPlease note that I now work part-time and am not usually on campus on Mondays.
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From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Chris Martindale
Sent: 20 June 2018 12:24
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Essay Banks - Providing creative learning and teaching approaches to deter students
Hello colleagues,
I would appreciate your suggestions of how to deter students from resorting to these.
Any creative interactive methods would be welcomed.
Thank you
Chris
Chris Martindale
Centre for Student Life
University of Derby
Tel. 01332-591212
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