Strategies for Dealing with Plagiarism and the Web in Higher Education

Abstract

There are few publications dealing with plagiarism prior to the introduction of the Web, yet in the decade since its introduction there has been a rise in the number of publications dealing with the topic. This literature suggests that plagiarism is occurring on a more frequent basis since the introduction of the Web into classrooms. Students now have access to vast amounts of information through the Internet. The ease of accessibility and low access price of the information does little to establish a sense of information value in the mind of students. This phenomenon is calling into question established academic practices and the credibility of some courses. While online classes often receive much attention in this regard, the perceived rise in plagiarism is not restricted to this new paradigm. Indeed, the occurrence of plagiarism is no less evident in the traditional classroom. While the Internet may provide the means of plagiarism for many, it is not the cause. The Internet is part of a technological evolution we are experiencing in teaching and society in general. This evolution is forcing us to adopt many new paradigms and thus consequently change old teaching habits. With easy access to the Internet, education is operating in a new landscape, and assessment procedures need to adapt to the landscape in order to survive. In this paper we present a case study of a number of effective changes made to adapt assessment procedures to the new landscape at Victoria University, Australia. In particular, two very different approaches utilized in two different courses are documented. Both cases highlight how careful consideration of the design and assessment techniques used in learning activities can reduce or even remove the problem of plagiarism.