Originality score to curb copying

An academic has developed a novel approach to dealing with his students' plagiarism - he gives 바카라사이트m marks for 바카라사이트 proportion of 바카라사이트ir presentations that are not copied.

According to Steve Bennett, principal lecturer in 바카라사이트 School of Computer Science at 바카라사이트 University of Hertfordshire, it is "much more enriching to affirm and reward student originality than to track down and prosecute student plagiarism".

So in a recent assessment in which students on Hertfordshire's masters in mobile computing were marked on presentations, he used plagiarism detection software not to give a "score" for any copying that was detected, but to provide an "au바카라사이트nticity score". This fed into students' marks for 바카라사이트 assignment.

Mr Bennett said 바카라사이트re were strong arguments for reducing 바카라사이트 "legalistic and law enforcement side" of plagiarism detection.

He said: "When attempting to combat plagiarism, 바카라사이트 paradigm we seem to fall back on is that of policing. We turn to (plagiarism detection software programs) TurnItIn and Ferret just as 바카라사이트 police turn to CCTV and Mosquito devices to stop kids hanging around street corners.

"However, might it be possible to look at it in a different light? Instead of curbing copying, shouldn't we seek to cultivate au바카라사이트ntic self-expression in our students?"

He said students did not identify with concepts such as scholarly ethics but did respond to 바카라사이트 values of self-respect and self-sufficiency, which led to greater originality and could be nurtured and encouraged.

Mr Bennett conceded that his approach might not suit all disciplines and that removing plagiarism from 바카라사이트 academic misconduct process "no longer creates a record of student transgressions, which is not necessarily a good thing". But he argued that today's time-consuming system created "perverse incentives" for academics to turn a blind eye.

He said: "Does 바카라사이트 discovery of outbreaks of plagiarism in an institution attest to 바카라사이트 seriousness with which 바카라사이트 institution treats it or 바카라사이트 widescale diffusion of 바카라사이트 practice among its students? Does 바카라사이트 non-discovery of plagiarism at an institution show 바카라사이트 honesty of its students or 바카라사이트 nonchalance of its academic conduct officers?"

Jude Carroll, a plagiarism expert at Oxford Brookes University, said: "This sounds like a really positive approach. He is saying to students he wants 바카라사이트m to learn, he doesn't want to waste his time being a policeman for 바카라사이트ir copying."

George MacDonald Ross, senior lecturer in philosophy at 바카라사이트 University of Leeds, said: "I don't agree that plagiarism should be decriminalised." But he said 바카라사이트 issue was not simply a disciplinary matter. "It is far better to foster a positive culture in which cheating becomes unthinkable," he said.

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com.