Students who are new to university may not be aware of what is meant by academic dishonesty. They probably know that copying another student's work is not acceptable but may be unclear about what can be copied from texts and how acknowledgement needs to be given. Problems can be avoided by discussing the School’s Student Misconduct Policy during the initial class or before the students prepare their first piece of work for you. To do this you need yourself to read and understand the School’s policy. The policy is published on the School’s website and appears at Appendix 2 of Tutor's Teaching Handbook.
It is useful to discuss with the students the conventions for acknowledgement and referencing in your course and how much collaboration can be undertaken on a lab report or assignment. Many students work well with a partner or friend and learn by discussion. However, unless it is an exercise where a group mark is given, the students need to show an individual product.
Plagiarism can be suspected if:
· There are marked variations in writing style from assignment to assignment.
· The student appears to have difficulty understanding the work in class but writes excellent assignments or reports.
· The style appears more sophisticated than you would expect at a particular level.
What should you do if you suspect cheating?
· Do not ignore it! Be aware that ignoring student misconduct is regarded by the School as inappropriate staff behaviour, which can lead to counselling and/or termination of your appointment as a tutor.
· Discuss the issue with the course coordinator. They will refer to the Policy on Staff Responsibilities with respect to Student Academic Misconduct, which is viewable on the School’s internal website and appears at Appendix 3 of this Handbook.
· Talk to your colleagues. Check with your colleagues if you feel a student has copied from another student. They may recognise the work.
· Educate the students. In your next tutorial, reinforce the need to properly acknowledge the work of authors with students who have copied text or taken an idea without giving due recognition to the original writer. On some occasions the students may do this unwittingly.
· Do not accuse individual students. Your course coordinator will initiate appropriate action as necessary.
Some of this section is taken from:
Nable, R. (1984). What Do You Do After You Say 'Good Afternoon'. Murdoch University