Plagiarism Detection and Prevention - Ensuring an Honest Learning Environment Instructors involved in online distance learning are concerned with detecting and combating plagiarism, in particular from web-based sources (Jocoy & DiBiase, 2006). Although plagiarism and cheating in an online learning environment occur at a similar rate, when compared to a traditional face-to-face learning environment, it is more visible in the online environment (Palloff & Pratt, 2012). Not only can an instructor take necessary steps to identify instances of plagiarism by their students, Jocoy and DiBiase (2006) indicate, “Educators have a responsibility to foster and maintain standards of academic integrity”. A key word, for me, in this concept is foster. A student having copied and pasted content from another source, does not imply they see this action or behavior as plagiarism (Palloff & Pratt, 2012). In my future capacity as a instructor of online distance learning courses, I will need to utilized a variety of strategies in order to best ensure instances of plagiarism will be held to minimum levels. Jocoy and DiBiase (2006) present strategies such as:  elevating the knowledge level of students in regards to what plagiarism is; incorporating instructional activities where students can discuss specific instances of plagiarism; incorporate online quizzes regarding plagiarism, in which students must succeed prior to taking the next steps in the course; and offering students an opportunity to revise plagiarized work, if it was their first or second offense. The door must be open to assist and education learners in this regard. Content specific to each course is not the sole determining factor to indicate the success of a student. How a student goes about becoming a better academician needs to be a significant component in educating learners. Academic integrity needs to be of utmost concern, regardless of a course’s content. Instructors can take additional steps in helping to prevent plagiarism by carefully creating and designing their assessment tools. Assessments can be designed such that they enable and encourage students to collaborate with one another, yet discourage cheating (Palloff & Pratt, 2012). In that traditional types of exams are not best suited for online environments, and the online exams should mirror real-life expectations by incorporating collaboration in the formation of ideas, yet requiring students to provide their own thoughts when applying these ideas, (Palloff & Pratt, 2012) an instructor can offer an assessment tool that is less susceptible to plagiarism. Collaboration with one’s classmates, not reproduction of one’s classmate’s work should be differentiated and clear to each learner. The Internet has both, made it easier for students to plagiarize via copy and paste, and made it easier for instructors to detect plagiarized material through the use of search engines finding copied phrases (Jocoy & DiBiase, 2006). Also available are commercially available technology tools such as Turnitin, which utilizes essay databases when identifying plagiarized material (Jocoy & DiBiase, 2006). In my search for additional software tools capable of detecting plagiarized material, I came across the following website provided by Dr. Howard Aldrich, who is a professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His website is:  http://www.unc.edu/~healdric/soci380/plagiarism.html. At this site, one will find fifteen websites at which they can find various software and technology tools regarding the detection of plagiarism.  When dealing with plagiarism, and instruction should consider various aspects such as:  intentionality, or the extent to which a student intended to plagiarize; the fair use provision established by U.S. copyright law; culpability of the student; and the extent to which the student has developed academic moral, values, and behavior (Jocoy & DiBiase, 2006). To assist an instructor in the education of, identification of, and reaction to plagiarism, many librarians and writing centers are available at the instructor’s respective academic institutions (Palloff & Pratt, 2012). These additional resources should be utilized. In summary, with the knowledge that all students do not fully understand what does and does not constitute plagiarism, along with the many resources and tools available an the instructor, with which to combat plagiarism, the number of incidents, whether they be intentional or otherwise, should decrease, along with a rise in students’ knowledge of the definition of plagiarism. The instructor is not alone in this battle! However, it does require attention! Resources Aldrich, H. (2011, December 24). Web sites for assessing whether students have committed plagiarism. Retrieved February 8, 2012 from http://www.unc.edu/~healdric/soci380/plagiarism.html. Jocoy, C., & DiBiase, D. (2006). Plagiarism by adult learners online: A case study in detection and remediation. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 7(1), 1–15. Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2012). Plagiarism and cheating. Lecture presented for Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6290533&Survey=1&47=7270808&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1.

Impact of Technology and Multimedia   When considering how technology and multimedia impact online learning environments, a vision comes to mind of an online environment existing in a sea of letters! This “letter” environment is one in which very little technology and multimedia exists. Two important themes for the beginning of an online course are presence and community (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). While an instructor can certainly establish some sense of presence through typing letters and words, technology and multimedia can significantly expand and enhance their presence. Actually, “presence is the most important best practice for an online course” (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). For an instructor to establish, at the course beginning, a presence that is based from a broader set of tools that offer a wider range of capabilities, they will more effectively present themselves to their learners, hence, a greater depth and breadth to their presence. Imagine you are the instructor who arrives at a face-to-face classroom on the first day, and are only able to communicate through the words coming out of your mouth. You are not allowed to use any hand gestures while speaking. You are not allowed to use facial gestures while speaking. You are not allowed to change the inflection of your voice. You are not allowed to walk around. You must stand in place, and speak! Your presence is one-dimensional. Similarly, does the lack of technology and multimedia, in online learning, bring about a one-dimensional environment that begins with a one-dimensional instructor. Multimedia and technology represent an opportunity to “come alive” in an online learning environment, similar to the concept of allowing the face-to-face instructor, mentioned previously, to use arm and facial gestures, vary the inflection in their voice, and physically move about the classroom. With use of pictures, audio, video, and various technology-based communication and collaboration tools, so too does the online environment “come alive”. The community of an online environment can be established to a greater extent when incorporating technology tools and multimedia. I refer back to the face-to-face classroom. If the walls and floor were all the same … if students could interact with each other and their instructor in only one way … once again, one-dimensional. One of the ten best practices identified by Boettcher and Conrad (2010) is to create a supportive online community. How could an online environment provide a supportive community to a group of learners who possess a variety of skills and abilities, when the community is one-dimensional? Most certainly is the use of technology, merely for the sake of using technology, not the best choice (Palloff & Pratt, 2012). For example, the greatest challenge for an online instructor is to ensure all learners have the skill level to use the communication tools for the course (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011). When an instructor chooses a communication tool that, on one hand might be state-of-the-art and one with which they are familiar and knowledgeable, yet on the other hand the learners have not yet had much experience with, the outcome will likely be less successful. Learner knowledge and ability should be considered. Another consideration relates to the potential limitations, in an online learning environment, of some technologies. For example, although the use of smart phones and mobile devices is becoming more prevalent in our society, that brings about a greater level of familiarity and knowledge with these tools, these technology tools may not be best suited for an online learning environment. In that mobile technology requires curriculum to be compressed, some information and content may have to be left out (Palloff & Pratt, 2012), which would reduce the quality of the online course. In regards to technology and multimedia, and how it relates to usability and accessibility for the learners in the online environment, great consideration must be taken. In particular, learners do not all have the same abilities to navigate and effectively retrieve and utilize information and content from within the online learning environment. The online environment must adjust to the range of learner needs, and create an environment accessible and usable by all (Cooper, Colwell & Jelfs, 2007). More specifically, barriers for disabled learners should not exist in the online learning environment (Cooper, Colwell & Jelfs, 2007). Auditory and visually challenged learners require, and deserve, an online environment that offers learning and growth, rather than frustration and confusion brought about by lack of accessibility. All learners should feel they are able to use the technology in their online environment, in and effective, efficient, and satisfactory manner (Cooper, Colwell & Jelfs, 2007). With all that is available for an instructor of a distance learning course, the technology tools most appealing to me are … “d” … all of the above! I feel like a kid in a candy shop! I see great advantages, benefits, and outcomes from incorporating blogs, wikis, voice-threads, and video into the future online course I anticipate facilitating. Without a doubt, the most useful thing I have learned is to not incorporate a technology tool, or multimedia without first:  identifying whether it addresses the characteristics of the learner; is available to learners who access via dial-up or a broadband connection; is both usable and accessible; and most importantly, directly and effectively addresses the course objectives and learning outcomes. Resources Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Cooper, M., Colwell, C., & Jelfs, A. (2007). Embedding accessibility and usability: Considerations for e-learning research and development projects. ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, 15(3), 231–245. Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2012). Enhancing the Online Experience. Lecture presented for Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6290533&Survey=1&47=7270808&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1.