Reporting Plagiarism in the Online Classroom
Plagiarism and academic dishonesty are phenomena that have a long history. With the advent of the Internet, and easily accessible information, there has been some debate on whether the rate of student plagiarism differs by modality. To understand the challenges of implementing a plagiarism protocol for online courses, the current study surveyed a group of online faculty. Specifically, how faculty approached instances of plagiarism and their perceptions of the current plagiarism protocol were examined. The findings indicated that there was variation in degree and timing of plagiarism reported by online faculty. Results also showed that online faculty members were more inclined to follow the protocol if plagiarism reports were easier to submit, took less time to submit, and/or the submission forms were integrated into the learning management system. In addition, participants indicated their desire to receive updated training on the plagiarism protocol, including the specific steps to submit plagiarism report documents. The study contributes to an understanding of difficulties inherent in implementing plagiarism policy, specifically in an online education context. Lastly, the current study indicates the importance of making clear the theoretical approach to defining plagiarism policy, as well as the possible implications for implementation in practice.
