Leave a Reply to Joe Murphy Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. Turnitin does offer a private-to-your-institution repository, but when I asked for a quote, it was beyond our ability to pay. (I’m tempted to think that it’s priced to discourage use.) If you’re concerned about the economic issue of how you fund writing instruction, it’s actually an anti-solution.

    I’ve seen some creative, intentional uses of Turnitin as part of a complete writing pedagogy, but I think this episode raises some great questions about its effect on the classroom environment which every faculty member needs to address.

  2. I found the perspective that Stephanie brought to this conversation really helpful in framing how I’ll handle plagiarism issues going forward when I teach. In the past, I’ve probably been a bit too hard-lined on citations and policy, without looking at the broader context of the student experience/situation.

    Sadly, it’s been my experience that a lot of faculty are either unwilling or unable to work with students to confront/teach issues related to plagiarism. That’s influenced me taking a harder line, easily rationalized by the “if I don’t address it, who will?” line of thinking.

    The conversation here reminds me that taking extreme positions on either end of the spectrum isn’t as helpful as the broad middle ground (and better strategies) to handle these issues. I appreciate Stephanie highlighting a lot of the ethical considerations here — as well some practical ways to address plagiarism proactively. It will certainly influence my thinking going forward in how I set expectations and bring a more holistic approach to this issue.

    Thanks to you both!