One of the muddiest points associated with online learning environments
is plagiarism. There is a common misconception that plagiarism consists of
copying and pasting material information directly and submitting it as one’s
own work. However, it is much more! Referencing ideas or even paraphrasing
previously stated content is considered plagiarism if credit is not given to
the author. As such, plagiarism is often committed unknowingly to the student. Because
of the nearly limitless access to information, the student is able to recycle
information easily. In fact, many times information is shared without proper
crediting and plagiarism is committed unknowingly.
This is of particular concern as resources are offered
openly without charge and as third party companies market pre-written papers
for students to pass off as their own. While products like SafeAssign and Turn
It In help to minimize the instances, the student is still able to manipulate
them and the products do not pick up all instances. For example, older
textbooks are not always in the systems and cannot be detected. Then there are
other ways to detect metadata and keystrokes, but there is the question of
invasion of privacy as content not related to education can be seen as well.
