Annah Hackett LILI Practicum University of Wisconsin-­‐Madison 27 April 2015 Synopsis of Anti-­‐Plagiarism Articulate Project As library school students and librarians, sometimes it is easy to forget that not every student has a solid background in correct citation. Citing sources is something we do intuitively; surely undergraduates understand how easy it is. When students do not correctly cite a source, instructors can be very quick to call it plagiarism and refer the student to the disciplinary system. While some of these cases are clearly instances of academic dishonestly (particularly those regarding papers purchased from other students or “paper mills”) others are caused by a simple misunderstanding on the part of the student. Teaching correct citation is part of the UW library system’s commitment to increase information literacy among the student body. To help advance this goal, I spent this semester working on an anti-­‐
plagiarism tutorial using Articulate. This tutorial does not focus on the “traditional” interpretation of plagiarism—namely, that is a problem related to academic dishonesty. Instead I focused on teaching students how and when to cite their sources. In doing so, I also increased my own technology skills by learning how to use Articulate. The University of Wisconsin-­‐Madison enrolls students from a variety of backgrounds. This diversity is one of the strongest aspects of the university. However it also means that baseline assumptions regarding things like correct citation are difficult for instructors and librarians to make. Some American high schools do not teach correct citation or how to paraphrase without plagiarizing. Furthermore, other cultures and countries do not define plagiarism the same way the American higher education system does. Before I began working with Articulate, I performed a literature review on similar tutorials at other universities and found a common view among instruction staff that undergraduates a) do not see themselves as scholars and b) do not view plagiarism as an ethical problem. During my research, I also met with Brad Hughes of the UW Writing Center. He helped me understand not only the different cultural approaches to plagiarism but also that framing the tutorial as instruction-­‐based rather than disciplinary-­‐based will be more helpful for students. These viewpoints helped shape my learning outcomes for this project. The instructional design for my tutorial was crafted by my desired learning outcomes and the particular tools available with Articulate. It is significant to note that my first learning outcome is “Students will be able to define plagiarism in terms of correct citation and correct use of paraphrasing” (emphasis added). Other learning outcomes address students understanding the importance of correct citation in scholarly discourse and the role of libraries in providing research assistance. I think that placing the definition of plagiarism first and foremost is essential to my tutorial. I want to teach the students who watch my tutorial, not punish them. Regarding the Articulate platform, I had some trouble at first adjusting to the format, but eventually I came to recognize its potential in providing an interactive experience for students. My practicum supervisor Sheila Stoeckel helped me understand that Articulate works best when learners are clicking on different tabs. This involves their attention. I believe that students will more readily remember the lessons of my anti-­‐plagiarism tutorial due to the interactive possibilities of Articulate. This project was a challenge for me because unlike my other instruction experiences, there was no audience in front of me providing feedback. The experience of designing this tutorial is similar to teaching a distance course in that it becomes incredibly important to have defined learning outcomes before crafting the lesson (whereas when I am in the classroom I can adjust my instruction according to how my students are reacting). As higher education transitions more and more to digital classrooms, I believe this experience will prove important to my growth as a library instructor. I am happy that I had this opportunity to learn about digital instruction and look forward to more opportunities in the future. Bibliography Germek, George. “The Lack of Assessment in the Academic Library Plagiarism Prevention Tutorial.” College & Undergraduate Libraries 19.1 (2012): 1–17. Greer, Katie. “Beyond the Web Tutorial: Development and Implementation of an Online, Self-­‐Directed Academic Integrity Course at Oakland University.” Journal of Academic Librarianship 38.5 (2012): 251–258. Jackson, Pamela A. “Plagiarism Instruction Online: Assessing Undergraduate Students’ Ability to Avoid Plagiarism.” College & Research Libraries 67.5 (2006): 418–428. Kellum, Karen Kate, Amy E. Mark, and Debra A. Riley-­‐Huff. “Development, Assessment and Use of an on-­‐Line Plagiarism Tutorial.” Library Hi Tech 29.4 (2011): 641-­‐654. Oldham, Bonnie W. “Impact of an Online Library Tutorial on Student Understanding of Academic Integrity.” Catholic Library World 82.1 (2011): 27–31. Stanton, Kenetha J., and Sally Neal. “Development of an Online Plagiarism Tutorial.” Indiana Libraries 30.1 (2011): 62–66.