Good Teaching Makes Good Citizens:
Designing Plagiarism-Proof
Assignments
Chris Anson
North Carolina State University
Workshop Agenda
10:00
11:00
11:45
12:00
1:00
1:45
2:15
2:30
3:30
4:00
Discussion of Issues
Toward an understanding of plagiarism
Strategic Application
Lunch
Goal- and support-based design model
Strategic application
Break
Assignment workshop
Discussion and resources
Adjourn
Your Turn . . .
Please read all the vignettes.
Now focus on the vignette assigned to your
group.
Discuss the vignette with your group, exploring
its implications and trying to decide on a
particular course of action, if any.
Be ready to share the results of your discussion
with the larger group.
So, What’s Plagiarism?
Consider . . .
Myth: The rubber soles of shoes or rubber tires on a
car will protect you from being struck by lightning.
Fact: Rubber-soled shoes and rubber tires provide NO
protection from lightning. However, the steel frame of
a hard-topped vehicle provides increased protection if
you are not touching metal. Although you may be
injured if lightning strikes your car, you are much safer
inside the vehicle than outside.
This appears verbatim at:
Safeco.com
City of Fort Collins, CO
University of Victoria Elementary Education Program
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
Denton County TX
FEMA.GOV kids site
Times Record News (a Scripps newspaper), Wichita Falls
Lightning Protection Service & Installation, Inc., Berlin, NJ
National Weather Service Forecast Office, Jackson, MS
And also at:
Emergency Management Service, Portage, WI
WeatherBug.com (sponsored by Cool Savings, Inc.)
Goddard Flight Center (NASA)
Steuben County Gov., Bath, NY
Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council
Emergency Management Service, Tuscaloosa, AL
Factmonster.com
Kidzworld.com
Florida Family Insurance Co., Inc.
And also at:
weatherandkids.com
bikeleague.org
Emergency Management, Springfield, MO
United Electric, Inc.
cybercom.net
vaudevilleproductions.com
easyweb.easynet.co.uk
Chiltern District County, Buckinghamshire, England
And dozens of others . . . .
Why?
Producers of text in civic contexts--for the
public good--do not have profit motives or
proprietary interests
The more the texts circulate, the better
Specific uses of texts make attribution
unnecessary or undesirable
Consider . . .
“Experience six brightly colored ‘island
villages’ with the ambiance of the tropics. Each
village has its own heated quiet pool plus a
white-sand beach on the shores of a shimmering
lake.” (from official Disney site)
Dozens of booking agents provide this text
verbatim with no attribution.
Why?
Brokers don’t want to risk creating their
own (mis)representations of properties
But they want to develop “trust” with
clients: not “their language” but “ours”
No one cares that the text is not
attributed; everyone “wins”
Plagiarism?
The concept of plagiarism varies in different
contexts and “textual cultures.”
The textual culture of public service operates
with less proprietary interest than either
business or academia.
The textual culture of business operates with
selective proprietary interest, based on its
goals.
Textual Culture in Academia: Research
Highly individualistic and personcentered
Based on credit cycles of individual
production, invention, and publication
Privileges the ownership and attribution
of ideas, concepts, and words to express
them
Textual Culture in Academia: Teaching
Focused on individual growth
Preoccupied with evaluation of individual
achievement
Recognizes and rewards “original” thinking
and innovation by novices
Tends to perpetuate (and teach) assumptions
about authorship from its own context
Values in Our Context: Teaching
We care that students are developing
(through their own effort).
We want to know we are evaluating their
learning authentically.
Secondarily, we want students to learn to do
things the way we do.
Secondarily, we want to emphasize ethical
behavior and prepare students for social and
occupational challenges.
Values in Our Context
We care that students are developing
(through their own effort).
We want to know we are evaluating their
learning authentically.
Fear of plagiarism? Or opportunity
to make this happen?
Orientation of our Work
Turning in
someone
else’s work
Due process
Possible
sanctions/
remediation
Pasting in unattributed text
as if own
Yes
Incorrect
citation
practices
Intentional and
knowing?
No
Intervention
Orientation of our Work
Turning in
someone
else’s work
Due process
Possible
sanctions/
remediation
Pasting in unattributed text
as if own
Yes
Incorrect
citation
practices
Intentional and
knowing?
No
Intervention
Orientation of our Work
Turning in
someone
else’s work
Due process
Possible
sanctions/
remediation
Pasting in unattributed text
as if own
Yes
Incorrect
citation
practices
Intentional and
knowing?
No
Intervention
Why Ex Post Facto?
Learning Goals
Due Process/
Sanctions
Creative Assignment Design
Attention to
Learning/
Process
Yes
(Unlikely)
Plagiarism
Maintenance of
Appropriate
Teacher Role
Learning and
Authentic
Assessment
No
Why Give Assignments?
“Gauge what students have learned.”
“Assess their ability to express themselves in
writing.”
“Test their comprehension of course material.”
“Look for the extent to which they can
synthesize disparate views on a topic.”
“See what they got from the experiment.”
Why Give Assignments?
“Provide an opportunity to practice skills of
close observation and analysis.”
“Help them learn how to describe different
positions on an issue in the discipline and
evaluate those positions.”
“Acquire the conventions of writing in my
discipline.”
“Get them to think critically.”
Problem: We Tend to Use Writing
as a Test
•
•
•
•
•
Learning-oriented
Particularized
Multiple texts
Goal-driven
More integrated
• Assessmentoriented
• Generalized
• Single texts
• Format-driven
• Less integrated
Dominant Orientation in Higher Ed
•
•
•
•
•
Learning-oriented
Particularized
Multiple texts
Goal-driven
More integrated
• Assessmentoriented
• Generalized
• Single texts
• Format-driven
• Less integrated
Potential for Submitting Others’ Work
Learning-oriented
• difficult
• less reason to do so
• more learning if done
Assessment-oriented
• easy
• more reason to do so
• less learning if done
Paper-as-Test Model
learning
testing
ACTIVITIES
Paper
Paper
Example: History
A term paper of five to eight pages in length will be
required and due at the end of week 14. This may be
attached and sent to the instructor by e-mail. The paper
must be in APA format (refer back to link at top of syllabus
for the APA format guide). The term paper may be on any
topic covered by the time frame of the textbook; that is of
interest to the student. Please advise your instructor of
your intended topic; so that, you do not pick something to
difficult to research in a freshman level history class.
http://www.bmcc.edu/nish/courses/HS101/HS101syllabus.htm#points
Paper-as-Test (Plus Accountability)
learning
testing
ACTIVITIES
Paper plus
“evidence”
Paper plus
“evidence”
Example: Sociology
You will write 3 essays, each about 5-10 pages long (not counting
the Reference page). You must choose your 3 topics from the list
provided below. Each essay must include at least 5 academic sources
which cannot be dated before 1992. For each essay, you will turn in
a rough draft and a final essay. Only the final essay will be graded
and by the instructor only. Each essay will count 30% of your final
grade. PLEASE TURN IN A COPY OF THE ARTICLES AND/OR
BOOKS THAT YOU USED TO WRITE YOUR PAPER WITH
YOUR FINAL DRAFT. I will return these back to you when I return
your paper.
http://www.as.wvu.edu/soc_a/sociology/faculty/latimer/389syllabus.htm
Semi-Integrated Model
learning
testing
ACTIVITIES
Paper
Paper
Example: Architecture
The rough drafts will not be graded, but you are required
to turn it in anyway. . . . Don't short-change the rough
draft. It's your chance to show me what you are going to
turn in on the final copy so that I can tell you what could
be better about it. If you don't get the rough draft to me by
the due date, I don't guarantee that I'll be able to get
comments back to you before the final copy due date (but
I'll still try).
http://www.ksl.stanford.edu/people/kpfleger/cs329_material/fall97/papers.html
Example: Chemistry
Peer Review (pick up drafts Friday Apr 16), peer review IN CLASS
Monday Apr 19) You will be given rough drafts of your classmates
papers on Friday. By class the following Monday, you should have
thoroughly read the drafts and provided constructive criticism both
on the draft and in a short paragraph summary for the author.
Constructive criticism should include positive comments on aspects
of the paper that are strong and comments that you think the author
should work on. You should comment on the writing and the content.
You will then discuss the drafts in small groups during Monday’s
class. Rough drafts will be handed in with the final paper and peer
review scores will be determined based on effort made in reviewing
the drafts and participation during the in-class exercise.
http://www.sonoma.edu/users/w/whilesli/term_paper_assignment_446.pdf
Fully Integrated Model
learning
testing
ACTIVITIES
WRITING
Paper
WRITING
ACTIVITIES
Paper
WRITING
Your Turn . . . .
• Please read the Art History assignment.
• In a pair or small group, critique this assignment generally. What works? What needs
improvement?
• Now critique it in terms of its potential to
encourage or leave open the possibility of
plagiarism. How can you change the curricular
model to shut down this possibility?
Lunch Break
12:00-1:00
The Instructional Design Model
Design
Assignments
Develop Goals for
Students
Learning
Informal
Formal
Evaluate
Learning
Create Supporting
Activities for Student
Learning
Operative Questions
Learning
Goals
What new knowledge, skills, and
processes do you want students
to be able to know or use?
Assignment
Design
What aspects of your assignment
help to accomplish those goals?
Supporting
Strategies
What activities support the
development of the assignment?
Assessment
How do you judge whether the
learning goals are reflected in
students’ products?
Plagiarism-Proofing: Goals
• What learning goal(s) do you want students to
acquire?
• Describe each goal: is it informational (some
pieces of knowledge)? Experiential (something
experienced, or some skill practiced)? Affective
(some new awareness or metaconsciousness)?
• How does each goal help you to achieve the goals
of your entire course?
Plagiarism-Proofing: Start With Goals
• Goal: Learn about an artist in the context
of a work you’ve found in a museum.
• Goal: Practice taking someone else’s
biography of an artist and putting it into
your own words.
• Goal: Learn how to tell others, orally, something about
an artist in a way that will interest and motivate them.
• Goal: Be able to describe culture from an
anthropological perspective and reach conclusions
about behavior and cultural practice from careful
observation.
Choose a Mode/Focus on Design
Before you consider high-stakes,
assessment-oriented assignments, consider
low(er)-stakes assignments designed to
encourage learning
Such assignments are driven by specific
intellectual goals in your course
They tend to be linked well to your course
material
They are easier to evaluate
They are very difficult to plagiarize
Example: 20th C. Science & Tech.
You are writing a letter to the high school teacher of your
son or daughter. You know that the period covered in your
child's course includes what is commonly referred to as the
Middle Ages and you want to be sure that your son or
daughter is not taught the "flat earth error" that seems to be
implied in the textbook. In your letter, describe the "error" as
presented in Russell's Inventing the Flat Earth, and explain
why it is important that a more accurate story be presented
to the class.
(http://www1.umn.edu/scitech/microtheme1.htm)
Example: Language & Linguistics
(First informal assignment) What do you think about trying to keep
the Lakota language alive and flourishing? Write a page or two
explaining your position.
(Second assignment, after first is discussed/handed in)
What do you think about trying to keep the dialect spoken on Tangier
Island alive and flourishing? Write a page or two justifying your position
relative to your first response.
(Third assignment, after second is discussed/handed in)
What do you think about trying to help keep Ebonics alive and
flourishing? Write a page or two justifying your position relative to your
other two responses.
Example: Studies in the Family
First informal assignment) What information, perspectives, and
strategies should prospective parents know before they decide to have
children? Write a page or so explaining your position.
(Second assignment, after first is discussed/handed in)
Should schools have a required curriculum on parenting that teaches
the information, perspectives, and strategies you advocated in Stage 1
of this informal assignment? Justify your position.
(Third assignment, after second is discussed/handed in)
Parental “licensing” programs have been suggested to combat parental
abuse and ignorance. The state would require parents to demonstrate
knowledge (through tests or coursework) before getting a license to
have children. New parents who have not obtained a license would be
required to obtain one immediately or face removal of their child to
protective custody. Argue for or against this method of providing the
information you advocated in Stage 1 of the assignment.
Example: Physics
The special theory of relativity rests on two experimentally
verified principles, one of which (the constancy of the speed of
light) is so surprising and hard to accept that after hearing it for
the first time, most people either miss the point or think they must
have misunderstood what was said. Explain this non-intuitive
property of light in a way that would be clear and understandable
to a non-scientist. Using non-technical language and analogies
from everyday life, contrast the behavior of light with that of
familiar objects traveling at speeds much less than c. Length: One
page.
(http://www.indiana.edu/~cwp/assgn/biomods/p300.html
Example: Early Modern China
Pick an event (the Sino-Japanese war, the Boxer rebellion, the fall
of the Qing dynasty or some other event) which is discussed in
this course and find accounts of the event in at least two
newspapers published at the time of the event, one of which must
be from a newspaper which was not published in the U.S. (You
may not write on an event which happened after 1917.) Your
paper should include a Xeroxed copy of the newspaper accounts,
plus your analysis of the accounts in the light of the readings,
lectures and class discussions.
http://writing.umn.edu/tww/WID/history/assignments/social_response.html
Example: Invertebrate Zoology
[A]rrange the propositions below in a logical order, connect the
individual statements with appropriate transitions, and arrive at a
conclusion that is supported by your argument. Using all of the
points supplied below, write a 2-page essay on the topic, “The
relationship between coral and zooxanthellae.”
• Coral reefs are formed by scleractinian corals that typically occur in
shallow (<60m) water.
• Hermatypic corals contain photosynthetic algae (zooxanthellae) in special
membrane- bound cavities inside the cells of the gastrodermis.
• Reef corals are limited to clear water because suspended material
interferes with the transmission of light.
• Over two-thirds of the metabolic requirements of corals are provided by
zooxanthellae. [ETC.]
cwp.missouri.edu/resources/ samples
Your Turn . . . .
Consider the twelve low-stakes assignments.
In a small group, discuss which of the
assignments might realize specific learning
goals in your course. If you already use any of
the samples, explain what you do. Or
collectively come up with new ideas for lowstakes, creative, learning-based assignments for
your courses.
Plagiarism-Proofing: More Design Strategies
• If a specific, generalized form or genre is not
crucial, can you achieve the goal(s) through
highly particularized and unique assignments?
Cases? Hybrid or mixed genres?
• What “input” from your course can you
incorporate into your assignment that comes only
from your course?
• How can you break larger projects up into smaller
assignments?
Design Opportunity
Create unique kinds of assignments
•
•
•
•
•
creative angles and topics
hybrid genres
multi-modal assignments
episodic or multi-staged tasks
cases and scenarios
Mixed Medium: FSN
Goal: Analyze and present known information about
nutrition within a specific culture while respecting and
valuing cultural traditions in dietary practices.
Sketch of assignment: Students investigate the
dietary practices of a specific cultural or ethnic group
(Cuban American, Japanese, Hmong, Pakistani,
Southeastern U.S., etc.). They write up a nutritional
analysis (and give a presentation) in a way that balances
an understanding of and respect for the culture or ethnic
group.
Opting for Speaking: Chemistry
Goal: Apply biochemical knowledge to specific
situations and make critical judgments about the
accuracy of information.
Sketch of assignment. Students must look at Web
sites that have a possible biochemical “bias.” Applying
their knowledge from the course, they then do a brief
presentation accompanied by Internet projection
describing any bias they find, or explaining why there is
no discernible bias.
Particularizing: Architecture
Goal: Critically evaluate existing designs and
eloquently express the results in writing for an informed
public.
Sketch of assignment: Professional critique of a built
project familiar to the student. The critique is intended
for the "informed public" (features in the New York
Times or Columbus Monthly, i.e., insightful and
professionally valid, yet also entertaining and eloquent,
reflecting a sophisticated knowledge of the subject
without being burdened with professional jargon).
http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/com10f2.cfm
Mixed Genre: Studies in British Empire
Student Essay from the perspective of a foot soldier:
My dearest Jane,
After I left you to join the army, many interesting
things have occurred. My light foot brigade has been
transferred to South Africa to fight the Boers of Transvaal
[1]. They are determined to hold their lands from us. We
need the resources of South Africa, like the gold and
diamonds. The Dutchmen have no honor, as they strike
civilian trains, and mutilate prisoners. . . .
“academic” footnote explaining info.
Mini-Case: American Literature
Imagine you’re Hester, looking back over the events in the
novel. Choose one image (besides the scarlet letter) that’s most
important, meaningful, or relevant to you. Write 2-3 pages in
your (Hester’s) journal explaining why. Try to be authentic, i.e.,
avoid writing a journal entry that sounds like a literary
analysis.
Design Opportunity
Create class-specific assignments
• ask students to incorporate material from
class discussions/lectures
• provide additional readings/materials for
writing
• design assignments from course material
Example: Psychology
Decide whether the concept of natural selection
applies to human attraction, dating, and mate
selection. Refer to the article discussed in class
(about physical attraction data) to explain and
support your position.
Design Opportunity
Create specific audiences (or self-reflection) for
assignments
• Consider asking students to write the same
text for different audiences and/or purposes
• Ask for “parallel texts” in which students
reflect on their papers and processes
Break
Plagiarism-Proofing: Support
• How can you build certain assignment
processes into your instruction and class time?
• How can you relate discussions and activities to
your assigned projects?
• How can you use less formal assignments to
drive your class sessions and enrich your
course?
• How can you sequence short assignments to
build up to larger projects?
The Instructional Design Model
Develop Goals for
Students
Learning
Design Writing
Assignments
Informal
Formal
Evaluate
Learning
Create Supporting
Activities for Student
Learning
Providing Support
Analyzing sample data
Extracting information (text, art, etc.)
Practicing close observation
Providing support for assertions
Judging the validity of a source
Finding the right persona or style
Translating complex information for lay
audiences
Choosing/narrowing a focus
Looking for the main point of a reading
Articulating an opinion
Example: FSN
What’s Needed: “Consult data on food nutrition;
make conversions and calculations based on
estimated quantities consumed daily.”
Supporting Activities: A sample daily menu from
an ethnic group exempt from choice in the
assignment provides raw data in class. Students
work in groups, using nutritional tools, to figure
nutritional values and then share them in brief
reports, using an overhead, with the class.
Example: Biochemistry
What’s Needed: “Explore the Web site, paying special
attention to its source and goals. Collect statements, data,
or other information that potentially represents bias or,
based on course material studied so far, misleads the
viewer/reader in some way.”
Supporting Activities: A model site is given that the
class unpacks as a group, contesting some of the statements
at the site based on their own knowledge of the facts, and
citing appropriate material as support.
Example: Architecture
What’s Needed: “Observe built object; take critical notes:
attention to elements studied and discussed in class.Formulate
opinion and work toward critique.”
Supporting Activities: A 3-D interactive photo suite of a
building and grounds is shown onscreen in a computer lab.
Students turn the building around and examine it from
different angles, taking notes on what they see. Full-class
follow-up draws on their observations collectively, showing
how to “look” for various elements.
Your Turn . . .
• In a small group, share the assignment you brought
to the workshop.
• For each assignment, discuss one or more
“plagiarism-proofing” methods from what we’ve
considered and try to apply it to a redesign of your
assignment.
• What else would you need to change in addition to
the assignment itself? Consider various supporting
activities.
Support Opportunity: Process
low stakes
Early ideas
Freewrites
Topic explorations
Source analyses
Focus exercises
high stakes
Drafts
Final Paper
Reflections
Peer responses
Revisions/edits
Support Opportunity: Portfolios
• Student portfolios provide a collection of work that
documents progress over time
• Portfolios can contain both primary documents (the
“artifacts” of assignments) and secondary
documents (reflections and commentary).
• Students take ownership of and responsibility for
their portfolios.
• Teachers can oversee portfolios’ development and
provide input along the way.
What About Large(r) Classes?
• Design unique assignments.
• Use series of short, less formal assignments
and assess for evidence of learning and
engagement.
• Allow specifics of classroom to enter into
the “genre” of the writing.
• Combine writing with other media
• Use writing in the class.
Summary
Our view of plagiarism is often shaped by our
assumptions about what writing is for in our classes.
Starting with learning goals can help us to create
assignments that engage students and make it difficult
and unnecessary for them to plagiarize.
Supporting larger projects engages students and leads
them through the process, averting plagiarism.
Adding creativity and imagination to our assignments
not only engages students and helps them “own” their
work; it also makes teaching more fun for us.
Issues and Discussion
Good Luck!
chris_anson@ncsu.edu
www.home.earthlink.net/~theansons/Portcover.html
The WPA Statement
http://www.wpacouncil.org