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This month, we have ideas excerpted from the excellent material developed by Ryerson's own Office of Academic Integrity. The office has developed several best practices resources, including a section of the website aimed specifically at faculty, as well as a series of pamphlets which we have made available for download from the LTO site.
When creating assignments, keep in mind:
- How you present the assignment to your student will determine how they treat it and how much effort they will put into it. If students view a research assignment as "busywork", they will resent the assignment and tasks associated with it, and may feel inclined to cheat. Before distributing the assignment, decide what goals you want to accomplish, determine factors that may affect achievement of these goals, and assess whether the goals have been clearly stated in the assignment
- Make assignments unique and use specific, narrow topics. Use new topics for each class and ensure that they are current (i.e. they require the use of newer resources) to deter the use of paper mills or the recycling of papers.
- Define the terms you use on the assignment. If students do not understand the assignment they will probably have trouble completing it. (What is meant by Thesis? Theme? Abstract? Peer reviewed? Refereed journal? Scholarly journal? Primary source/secondary source? Citation? Style guide?) Many terms that you use may not be familiar to first year students, students who are returning to school after a long absence; or students from other cultures. Always give your assignments in writing-never verbally.
When developing a multiple choice exam, here are some general guidelines for item construction:
- Make sure the item can be answered without looking at the options or that the options are 100% true or false.
- Include as much of the item as possible in the stem; the stems should be long and the options short. Avoid superfluous information.
- Avoid "tricky" and overly complex items.
- Write options that are grammatically consistent and logically compatible with the stem; list them in logical or alphabetical order.
- Write distracters that are plausible and the same relative length as the answer.
- Avoid using absolutes such as always, never, and all in the options; also avoid using vague terms such as "usually" and "frequently."
- Avoid negatively phrased items (eg, those with except or not in the lead-in). If you must use a negative stem, use only short (preferably single word) options.
- The stems must be clear and unambiguous. Avoid imprecise phrases such as "is associated with;" "is useful for;" "is important."
- And most important of all: Focus on important concepts; don't waste time testing trivial facts.
The Learning & Teaching Office has prepared a page of additional resources on Academic Integrity. Some highlights:
- Keeping It Honest
McGill University.
The section of the site aimed at instructors has some excellent tips for avoiding cheating and plagiarism, such as how to successfully implement seating plans during exams.
- Academic Integrity
University of Windsor.
In 2006, the University of Windsor conducted a survey of the attitudes held by students and faculty towards academic honesty, the resulting report is available on their site [pdf].
- Academic Integrity
Faculty of Arts. University of British Columbia.
The UBC site includes examples of how students cheat with suggested solutions for each problem.
The most recent entry into the Tomorrow's Professor listserv is entitled "Techniques for Promoting Academic Integrity." It is not yet on the website, but thanks to a submission from a reader, we can excerpt portions of it here. The full posting should appear on the Tomorrow's Professor website shortly. It reprints handy tips found in Teaching Unprepared Students: Strategies for Promoting Success and Retention in Higher Education by Kathleen F. Gabriel.
"By implementing the following three steps, which are included in McCabe and Pavela's Principles of Academic Integrity, we can communicate to all our students that we will not tolerate academic dishonesty:"
- Affirm the importance of academic integrity. "Professors must affirm, with our students, the importance of academic integrity and honesty. To do this, we should have a statement on our syllabi along with a reference to the college's academic integrity policy. In addition, we need to talk to our students about academic integrity and what it means. We need to give examples of what we consider to be cheating and what types of collaboration will be allowed (or not allowed) on different assignments. It is also helpful to give students suggestions on how to study for exams and to post information on tutoring on campus."
- Reduce opportunities to engage in academic dishonesty. "Establish ground rules for taking tests. Inform students what they can bring to class (calculator, pen, or pencil) and what they cannot bring to class (backpack, earphones, or cell phone)."
- Develop fair and relevant tests (and/or forms of assessment). "In classes where exams are part of the grade, we should write new tests every semester. Wankat suggests that we keep an 'idea file for test questions and after writing a test, solve it (even the essay questions) before finalizing it. By solving the test first, you will find questions that are ambiguous, cannot be solved, are too long or too hard, or are trivial.' Wankat also reminds us to time ourselves when we take the test: 'The time it take you to solve the test can be used to estimate the time it will take students to solve the test. As a rule of thumb, try multiplying your solution time by five for first year students, four for juniors, and three for graduate students. Adjust these factors until you obtain good predictions.'"
Additional tips can be found in other Tomorrow's Professor posts, such as Plagiarism and Assignments That Discourage It and Justice or Just Us: What to do About Cheating.
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The Learning & Teaching Office has a collection of books on academic integrity, many of which are available at the Ryerson Library. Check our library resources page for the complete listings. Following are a selected number of books that the LTO recommends:
The Plagiarism Handbook: Strategies for Preventing, Detecting, and Dealing with Plagiarism
By Robert A. Harris with cartoons by Vic Lockman. Los Angeles: Pyrczak Pub., c2001.
Call No.: PN167 .H37 2001
Guiding Students from Cheating and Plagiarism to Honesty and Integrity: Strategies for Change
By Ann Lathrop and Kathleen E. Foss. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited, 2005.
Call No.: LB3609 .L27 2005
Combating Student Plagiarism: An Academic Librarian's Guide
By Lynn D. Lampert. Oxford: Chandos, 2008.
Call No.: Z675.U5 L36 2008
The Plagiarism Plague: A Resource Guide and CD-ROM Tutorial for Educators and Librarians
Edited by Vibiana Bowman. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, c2004.
Call No.: PN167 .P527 2004
Preventing Plagiarism and Cheating: An Instructor's Guide
By Gary K. Clabaugh and Edward G. Rozycki. Oreland, PA: NewFoundations Press, c2001.
Call No.: PN167 .C522 2001
Ryerson University provides faculty and students with a variety of helpful services and programs, covering everything from digital media assistance to career development.
This month's featured Ryerson service is the Office of Academic Integrity. Instructors may find the page aimed at faculty helpful. It includes sections on why students cheat, how to detect and prevent plagiarism, and how to report academic misconduct.
The Office's website also has helpful information aimed at undergraduates, graduate students, TA/GAs, and even family members of Ryerson students. In addition to the textual material, there is a six episode animated web series for students covering topics like unintentional plagiarism and unauthorized groupwork.
Workshops for students are available through the Academic Integrity Office and are offered by the Learning Success Centre, English Language Support, the Library and the Writing Centre. Topics include "How to Avoid Plagiarism," as well as lessons on the proper use of different citation styles .
Students can check schedules and register for Academic Integrity Workshops online
On May 31, June 1 and June 2, the LTO will be running an Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW). An intensive 24 to 30 hour event, the ISW is a laboratory approach to the improvement of teaching and learning and can be conducted in a variety of formats. The ISW is facilitated by people who teach, for people who teach. Each ISW ideally comprises a group of four to six participants and one or two facilitators. Participants review basic ideas about teaching, check current practices, and are encouraged to try new instructional strategies and techniques within the safe environment of the group. The ISW may also include sessions about teaching skills, learner needs, and other teaching and learning needs themes that arise in learning environments.
Learn more and download registeration forms from the Instructional Skills Workshop
The LTO has added a subject index to our resource page. We hope this alphabetized and cross-referenced list of topics will help make the site easier to use. If you have any suggestions for improving the index, please email michelle.schwartz@ryerson.ca.
Ryerson faculty might be interested to know that The Teaching Professor newsletter is available at the Ryerson Library as both an electronic resource and on paper.
This monthly periodical is dedicated to the study of learning and teaching and is a wealth of information for instructors in all disciplines. In keeping with the subject of this month's Best Practices, the February 2010 issue of the Teaching Professor has an excellent article entitled "Student Perceptions of Plagiarism."
"The LTO Best Practices" is produced monthly by The Learning & Teaching Office of Ryerson University. Our June issue will be on experiential learning.
Do you have any thoughts, suggestions, or best practices that you would like to see appear in this newsletter? Please send all submissions to michelle.schwartz@ryerson.ca. We look forward to including your contributions in our next issue!
Location: Kerr Hall West, room KHW373.
Phone: 416.979.5000 x6598
Email: lto@ryerson.ca
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