Plagiarism and the Online Classroom

In recent years plagiarism has been a major concern for many educational institutions of all classroom styles.  To combat this concern several plagiarism detection software and websites have been developed. Here are some examples of free online plagiarism checkers:

http://www.plagiarismdetect.com/

http://plagiarisma.net/

http://plagiarism.org/

The online classroom has seen even more plagiarism with the use of traditional assessments, like multiple choice and short answer questions, with students using search engines and websites to copy answers.  I believe there are two changes to online learning that would not only challenge plagiarism but also create a better learning environment for students:

1.     Mastery-based learning and assessments

2.     Individualization of instruction

Mastery-based learning and assessments require students to prove they have learned the content material through application instead of rote memorization, as in assessment-based instruction.  This type of instruction and assessment would allow for different assessment types, more project-based learning and assessments, and focus on real-life applications.  Mastery-based learning and assessments would allow online students to utilize online resources as tools, as they are meant to be, instead of sources for plagiarism.

Also, by individualizing instruction students would not be expected to all have the same product of mastery to prove they understand the course material.  This would help prevent students from plagiarizing from outside resources and from each other.  As an online teacher I have seen my role move from a traditional instructor/lecturer to more of a tutor/mentor, leading to more small group or one-on-one tutoring.  This new instructor role would also allow for students to receive more individualized instruction.

In the future I hope to use my experiences in online education and instructional design to create learning environments for my students that center around mastery-based learning and individualized instruction.

Thank you.

Technology Impacting Education

Retrieved from http://wcarozza.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/onlinecartoon.jpg

In recent years it has seemed as if every industry has become more and more reliant on technology to increase productivity and effectiveness; education was also included in this shift.  Education has now added technology skill standards, with the 21^st Century Skills Standards, along with adding more opportunities to use technology while learning general content standards such as online learning resources and online learning opportunities.  Online learning is the most reliant on technology out of the educational classroom options but online learning is also increases the chances of students obtaining and mastering the new 21^st Century Skills Standards recommended by the Federal government to increase career success. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE; www.iste,org) offers an annual report, NMC Horizon Report, which details the new technology that would most likely impact education in the coming year (Johnson, Smith, Willis, Levine, Haywood, 2011).  This report is one of several tools that educators should be using regularly to plan and produce educational opportunities that grow with technology.

With the range of technology and multimedia options there are now more productive and effective ways to engage and increase the interactivity of online students.  In addition, more adult learners are able to gain additional education and training through online learning resources; many adult learners may not have had the opportunity to return to school while working full-time if not for available online learning programs, myself included.  Calvin and Freeburg explore the impact and reactions of adult learner to the impact technology has on their educational opportunities, finding that it is the organizational and time management skills of adult learners that more impact their online learning than their access to technology or technology skills (Calvin & Freeburg, 2010).

As an online K-12 instructor I have found that technology is the greatest asset and hindrance for my students.   As my students gain technology skills and ease of use of many types of technology in their online courses, many students struggle to gain the basic technology skills to navigate their courses.  This is why this year our students had to complete a weeklong orientation course that included identifying needed technology skills and practicing those skills, before they were allowed to begin their core content courses.  Also, the other instructors and I gave several synchronous sessions on organizational skills and introductions to the resources and tools provided to students to help them be successful. 

In the future, I would like to expand my use and my skills in design and development of additional technology resources for my students, especially in the areas of science core content and science technology.

Thank you.

Calvin, J., Freeburg, B.W., (2010), Exploring adult learners’ perceptions of technology competence and retention in web-based courses, quarterly review of distance education, vol. 11 no. 2 pp 63- 72

Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A. Haywood, K., (2011), The 20011 horizon report, New Media Consortium, Retrieved from www.iste.org/learn/horizon-report.aspx on October 06, 2001