Essay Assessment and Plagiarism in the Online Environment
Creation of 2 Essay Prompts and 4 Short Answer Questions (Week Six) Are you familiar with scaffolding? No, not the kind that surrounds the buildings we discussed in Weeks Six and Seven, but rather the kind that provides instruction and feedback to students responding to short and long answer (essay) questions. Scaffolding occurs when we provide response supports which will allow a student to achieve at a higher level than without those supports.
Ken Jones, in his presentation "Designing Tests and Paper Questions" states, "Scaffolding... can come in the question itself. For example, compare these two: “Why does an internal combustion engine work?” versus “Explain the functions of fuel, carburetor, distributor, and the operation of the cylinder’s components in making an internal combustion engine run.” Scaffolding can also be a little more external – for example, you can remind them of critical readings/discussions they should include."
While you haven't "told" the student the answer in the question beginning "Explain the functions..." you have provided students with a scaffold for a complete response to the question. This should provide you with a better measure of a student's knowledge and ability to apply that knowledge than the original construct of that question, with a solid scaffold being of special importance for ELL students and those with language based disorders.
Another way to scaffold is with color scaffolding for key words/phrases. The key words/phrases can be color coded for students, assisting them in identifying a possible model for construction of a response. For example:
"Choose a prose work or group of prose works (fiction or non-fiction) dealing to some extent with a less pleasant side of life.
Show how this less pleasant side of life is portrayed and made more real for you by the description of the people and/or places and/or events.
In your answer you must refer to the text, and to at least two of: theme, language, structure, setting, or any other appropriate feature… (Would characterization do?)"
Scaffolding the prompt allows student to see the important words that should guide their prompt/performance on the question.
Scaffolding benefits all students - those who may write too much/too little have a guide for the expectation of the teacher, those who struggle with reading composition will be able to discern the important points to be discussed, and ELL students will have a clear identification of the key elements that need to be included within the response.
Scaffolding may be of special importance for online students. They may not have the chance to "come up" to your desk to get clarification on the prompt. Indeed, if the student is taking a timed or "one chance" test (to prevent plagiarism) the student will not have the opportunity to ask you a question via email or chat. Your prompts must be clear with sufficient guidance for student success.
Activity:
Create 2 Essay Prompts and 4 Short Answer Questions following the guidelines for Writing Effective Essay Questions (Week Eight Readings)
Create a rubric for scoring the essay and short answer responses.
Submit the essay prompts, short answer questions, and rubric(s) for scoring.
Why plagiarism education? In 2003, Don McCabe, founding president of the Center for Academic Integrity at Rutgers University, surveyed over 18,000 students on 23 college campuses and found that 40% of the students reported plagiarizing from the Internet.1
It isn't just college students committing plagiarism. A national survey of high school students reported that 75% of them admitted to cheating, with more than half of them plagiarizing from the Internet.2
Plagiarism is not just an American phenomenon. In a curious twist, perhaps, a survey of students at Cambridge University found that 62% of the law students reported engaging in plagiarism.3
While statistics are not available as to the prevalence of plagiarism in online classes Kristy Smolenski, in the Journal of Education, Community, and Values writes, "Because both students and faculty believe it is easier to cheat in a distance learning class, results suggest that as the number of distance learning classes increase, so will academic dishonesty" (Kennedy, in Maw et. al)"4
In order to develop a plagiarism education program for your course you need to:
Identify why students plagiarize
Identify the different types of plagiarism
Identify a process to detect plagiarism
Identify the role of plagiarism detection tools
Activity: This activity will be conducted using the Jigsaw technique.
You may work individually or with a group of students within the class. Group work will make the task easier but it is optional.
Your report should include a comprehensive literature review consisting of six to eight sources in APA format.
After the research has been completed you may work as individuals, pairs, or small groups in developing a plagiarism education and prevention program for your online course that is age and grade appropriate.
A program for fourth grade students, therefore, will look substantially different from one designed for tenth grade students.
Post your plagiarism education and prevention program to the Discussion Board.
Microsoft Word and Grading Toolbars (Week Seven) The most daunting task in teaching online may be the management of feedback and grading. Many instructors report that teaching online is more time intensive than face to face instruction, with student communication and grading taking the most time of all online teaching tasks.
Microsoft Word, as detailed in the article, "Effective Strategy for Providing Prompt Feedback for Writing Assignments" (Week Seven Readings) offers two tools of special interest to online educators:
Comment/Track Changes
Custom Grading Toolbar
In this next activity you will learn to use these two tools, and then apply them to the grading of a sample essay.
Activity:
The first step is to learn to use the Comment/Track change features of Microsoft Word. We will use Atomic Learning to access a series of tutorials on the use of the Comment/Track feature.
Atomic Learning is under "my services' on my.lesley.
Search Atomic Learning with the search term "Microsoft Word Comments" to locate the appropriate tutorial for your platform and software version.
Complete the tutorial within this section.
The second step is to create the custom grading toolbar depicted in the article. Search Atomic Learning with the search term "Microsoft Word Toolbar" to locate the appropriate tutorial for your platform and software version.
Complete the tutorial within this section.
After you have completed the tutorials for both sections practice using these tools in the scoring of a sample essay.
Submit the sample essay and a snapshot of your toolbar to the instructor
WEEK SIX & SEVEN
Essay Assessment and Plagiarism in the Online Environment
Creation of 2 Essay Prompts and 4 Short Answer Questions (Week Six)
Are you familiar with scaffolding? No, not the kind that surrounds the buildings we discussed in Weeks Six and Seven, but rather the kind that provides instruction and feedback to students responding to short and long answer (essay) questions. Scaffolding occurs when we provide response supports which will allow a student to achieve at a higher level than without those supports.
Ken Jones, in his presentation "Designing Tests and Paper Questions" states, "Scaffolding... can come in the question itself. For example, compare these two: “Why does an internal combustion engine work?” versus “Explain the functions of fuel, carburetor, distributor, and the operation of the cylinder’s components in making an internal combustion engine run.” Scaffolding can also be a little more external – for example, you can remind them of critical readings/discussions they should include."
While you haven't "told" the student the answer in the question beginning "Explain the functions..." you have provided students with a scaffold for a complete response to the question. This should provide you with a better measure of a student's knowledge and ability to apply that knowledge than the original construct of that question, with a solid scaffold being of special importance for ELL students and those with language based disorders.
Another way to scaffold is with color scaffolding for key words/phrases. The key words/phrases can be color coded for students, assisting them in identifying a possible model for construction of a response. For example:
"Choose a prose work or group of prose works (fiction or non-fiction) dealing to some extent with a less pleasant side of life.
Show how this less pleasant side of life is portrayed and made more real for you by the description of the people and/or places and/or events.
In your answer you must refer to the text, and to at least two of: theme, language, structure, setting, or any other appropriate feature… (Would characterization do?)"
Scaffolding the prompt allows student to see the important words that should guide their prompt/performance on the question.
Another form of scaffolding is in the composition of the prompt. A step by step process for composing a prompt is available at:
http: www.ahs.albany.k12.ny.us/.../2how%20to%20...%20DBQ.pdf
Scaffolding benefits all students - those who may write too much/too little have a guide for the expectation of the teacher, those who struggle with reading composition will be able to discern the important points to be discussed, and ELL students will have a clear identification of the key elements that need to be included within the response.
An example of literature discussion prompts for ELL students that can be used for the construction of essay and short answer questions is available at http://esl-programs-lessons.suite101.com/article.cfm/literature_discussion_prompts_for_esl_students.
Scaffolding may be of special importance for online students. They may not have the chance to "come up" to your desk to get clarification on the prompt. Indeed, if the student is taking a timed or "one chance" test (to prevent plagiarism) the student will not have the opportunity to ask you a question via email or chat. Your prompts must be clear with sufficient guidance for student success.
Activity:
**Strategies to Minimize Academic Dishonesty (Week Seven)**
Why plagiarism education? In 2003, Don McCabe, founding president of the Center for Academic Integrity at Rutgers University, surveyed over 18,000 students on 23 college campuses and found that 40% of the students reported plagiarizing from the Internet.1
It isn't just college students committing plagiarism. A national survey of high school students reported that 75% of them admitted to cheating, with more than half of them plagiarizing from the Internet.2
Plagiarism is not just an American phenomenon. In a curious twist, perhaps, a survey of students at Cambridge University found that 62% of the law students reported engaging in plagiarism.3
While statistics are not available as to the prevalence of plagiarism in online classes Kristy Smolenski, in the Journal of Education, Community, and Values writes, "Because both students and faculty believe it is easier to cheat in a distance learning class, results suggest that as the number of distance learning classes increase, so will academic dishonesty" (Kennedy, in Maw et. al)"4
In order to develop a plagiarism education program for your course you need to:
Activity: This activity will be conducted using the Jigsaw technique.
1. Sinclair, Kim. (2003). Rutgers study finds many college students plagiarize. The Daily Collegian Online. Retrieved August 3, 2009 from
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2003/09/09-17-03tdc/09-17-03dnews-02.asp .
2. Slobogin, Kathy. (2002). Survey: Many students say cheating's OK. CNN Student News. Retrieved August 3, 2009 fromhttp://archives.cnn.com/2002/fyi/teachers.ednews/04/05/highschool.cheating/index.html.
3. Stothard, Michael. (2008). Survey: Half of all students plagarise. Trinity News.ie. Retrieved August 3, 2009 from http://www.trinitynews.ie/index.php/news/international/319-survey-half-of-students-plagiarise.
4. Smolenski, Kathy. (2003). Dealing with plagiarism in online classes, (3)2. Retrieved August 3 fromhttp://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2003/02/onlineEd.php.
Microsoft Word and Grading Toolbars (Week Seven)
The most daunting task in teaching online may be the management of feedback and grading. Many instructors report that teaching online is more time intensive than face to face instruction, with student communication and grading taking the most time of all online teaching tasks.
Microsoft Word, as detailed in the article, "Effective Strategy for Providing Prompt Feedback for Writing Assignments" (Week Seven Readings) offers two tools of special interest to online educators:
- Comment/Track Changes
- Custom Grading Toolbar
In this next activity you will learn to use these two tools, and then apply them to the grading of a sample essay.Activity:
ALL ABOUT PLAGIARISM WITH AN INTERESTING VIDEO
Plagiarism Threatens High School Graduation
http://www.wishtv.com/dpp/news/local/hamilton_county/plagiarism-case-threatens-graduation
(Use Your Browser Return Arrow)