Dear Phil,
I know you have several times used messages exchanged between
listholders to create THES stories about plagiarism. You have now
asked the list members for help with another article, including asking
me by name.
I have not seen today's THES issue but I have seen an electronic
version of one story that appears in it. The story arose from this
week's conference that you mention and concerns academics' willingness
to deal with cases when they spot them. The tone of the electronic
version I have seen is very similar, in my view, to many such articles
previously run in the THES. I can only speculate as to the reason for
this but here's my guess: where plagiarism is concerned, I think THES
articles are aimed at those who, unlike list members, do not spend
their time dealing with the complexity of the issues surrounding
plagiarism. Articles like the one I read today seem to overlook how my
colleagues around the UK and internationally are trying to do something
constructive about the issue. I know that plagiarism is a complex issue
requiring a complex response. I know that universities are complex
places which are hard to change. I do not find a 'shock of the week'
approach appropriate in these circumstances and wonder if what you are
writing about this time on assessment might go that way, too. The
signs are there:
Your message already mentions lazy and traditionalist assessors. That's
not how I see it. I have found over 5 years of working with my
colleagues on changing assessment (and for the record, what I advocate
is getting students, when they see an assignment, to think, 'How can I
make that?' rather than 'Where can I find that?'. You encourage this
by designing tasks that can only be generated in this way). Every week,
I meet academics who genuinely cannot see that their assessment tasks
are possible to find and copy. Those same assessors, with a bit of
help, are intrigued to think about it differently. They pounce on
alternatives. That's a positive message and that's all I would be
willing to share.
Jude Carroll
Baty, Phil wrote:
>Dear List,
>Following last week's Gateshead conference, I'm working on a piece about
>the pressure to move away from traditional assessment like
>essays/dissertations in order to "design out" the potential/temptation
>for plagiarism.
>I'd welcome thoughts/contributions from the list. It seems to me that
>there is concern among this community that lazy thinking/traditionalism
>is perpetuating assessment techniques that are out of date, no longer
>fit for purpose and in some cases actively invite the student to
>plagiarise. Is that a fair assessment?
>I'd particularly like thoughts on Jude Caroll's line about making rather
>than discussing. Jude, perhaps you can explain to me directly?
>And also -- are there any institutional moves to reform assessment
>methods in this way, or is there still general resistance/apathy?
>
>Thanks in advance for any assistance,
>
>Phil Baty
>Chief Reporter
>The Times Higher Education Supplement
>66-68 East Smithfield, London E1W 1BX
>Tel: 020 7782 3298
>Fax: 020 7782 3300
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Plagiarism [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
>Macdonald, Ranald F
>Sent: 23 June 2006 11:20
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Teaching remission for Academic Conduct Officers?
>
>Denize
>
>Working with Jude Carroll a couple of years ago we came up with a system
>of Academic Conduct Panels where the Chairs are often the Head of
>Quality in the Faculties. There are also Secretaries to the panels. They
>are supported by my unit, the Learning and Teaching Institute, and we
>have twice-yearly meetings to discuss statistics, case studies and try
>to work out why there might be difference between Faculties.
>
>Our main concern is to ensure consistency and fairness across the
>University. An annual report is fed back to the Academic Development
>Committee and we have amended our regulations as a result of the
>experience to recognise that many (but not all) first year students do
>not have the necessary skills and understanding of the appropriate
>conventions. Our whole emphasis is on Academic Integrity with leaflets
>distributed to staff and students and a dedicated website.
>
>We are totally committed to seeing the solution as better academic
>practice and not police and punish. Some students will cheat and we have
>the appropriately robust regulations to deal with them. However, our
>main emphasis is on staff providing the appropriate information and
>designing it out of assessment as far as possible and that students have
>the necessary skills and understanding.
>
>Hope that helps
>
>Ranald
>
>************************
>Professor Ranald Macdonald
>Head of Academic Practice
>Learning and Teaching Institute
>Sheffield Hallam University
>
>Tel: 0114 225 4759
>email: [log in to unmask]
>************************
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Plagiarism [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
>Mcintyre D A (CELT)
>Sent: 23 June 2006 10:27
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Teaching remission for Academic Conduct Officers?
>
>I'm really grateful for that, Suzanne, thanks very much. I'm quite keen
>for my Uni to at least consider it but I'm likely to need the backup of
>comments such as yours to do it! If I have enough responses to put
>together, I'll put up a generalised response.
>Thanks again.
>Regards
>Denize.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Plagiarism [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Suzanne
>Ryan
>Sent: 23 June 2006 10:06
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Teaching remission for Academic Conduct Officers?
>
>Dear Denize,
>We use it at the University of Newcastle Australia and it, along with a
>raft of other measure, has made a major difference to consciousness of
>academic integrity among both academics and students. At first all
>SACOs were allocated the equivalent of one day per week but over time we
>have realised that for some it is not a big job, ie not much business
>especially in sciences and law and medicine, while for others, like my
>graduate school of business with offshore and online courses it is
>worth two days per week.
>
>S
>
>Suzanne Ryan
>Teaching, Learning and Quality Coordinator Newcastle Graduate School of
>Business University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia
>
>Phone +61 2 49 216015
>Fax +61 2 49 217398
>
>www.gsb.newcastle.edu.au
>
>
>
>>>>[log in to unmask] 23/06/06 7:01 PM >>>
>>>>
>>>>
>Dear All
>Following on from something I learned at the Newcastle Conference this
>week, we don't currently use a system of Academic Conduct Officers and
>I'd like to do a quick tour through the pros and cons of it all. If any
>colleagues has strong opinions for the system one way or the other, I'd
>be really glad of an e-mail. In particular, would you mind letting me
>know what kind of remission on teaching hours the role attracts? I will
>obviously anonymise this and be happy to provide some concise collated
>info to anyone who would like to see it.
>
>Best wishes
>
>Denize McIntyre
>Support Manager
>Centre for Excellence in Learning & Teaching The University of Glamorgan
>Tel: 01443 482791
>Fax: 01443 483667
>Web address: http://blendedlearning.glam.ac.uk
><http://blendedlearning.glam.ac.uk/>
>
>
>
>
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--
Jude Carroll
Deputy Director, ASKe
Oxford Brookes University
Wheatley, OXON OX33 1HX
+44 (0)1865 485827
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