Plagiarism Detection and Prevention

What plagiarism detection software is available to online instructors?

There are various plagiarism detection software now available. The first software that comes to mind is Turnitin as it is now used by Walden University. This software checks for originality by checking submitted papers against various web pages, and student papers  and leading library databases and publications. It Checks for grademark which provides feedback through online grading where standard and customized marks appear directly on the student’s paper. Turnitin also provides a peermark which engages students in the writing process by providing structured, anonymous feedback of other student’s written work. To find out more about Turnitin click the following link:   http://turnitin.com/static/products/index.php

You do not have to pay for plagiarism detection simply by going through Duplichecker. This online detection tool claims to check a student’s paper again the same databases as Turnitin. Through this tool, the paper can be checked against yahoo, google, and msn with or without quotes. Duplichecker is a product of Content Arcade, an internet marketing company. For more information on Duplichecker click the following link: http://www.duplichecker.com/Services.asp

Another professional plagiarism prevention tool is the iThenticate which allows publishers and researchers to easily upload and scan documents, manuscripts, research and other professional works into iThenticate which campares the work against several web pages and content items from leading academic publications. For more information click the following link: http://www.ithenticate.com/products/

How can the design of assessments help prevent academic dishonesty?

In our course resources there were great examples provided on ways to avoid academic dishonesty. What really resonated with me were the examples provided by Dr. Palloff, to make tests collaborative efforts enabling students the opportunity to work together and ask questions during testing. This method makes it very difficult for students to cheat due to the format of the test. I really appreciated the suggestion that assessments should be similar to real-world work situations which embraces the fact that sometimes the answers must be researched or discussed with peers prior to submitting a response/answer. This YouTube entry offers a great description of plagiarism and how it works. Click the following link to view:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Fw6NxvwP41U

What facilitation strategies do you propose to use as a current or future online instructor?

Dr. Pratt indicated that she does not believe that students set out to conduct academic dishonesty, however it sometimes happens. This is not something that could be completely avoided, but things can be done to lessen the chances. The Richland College website offers great suggestions on their site titled, “Ways to Prevent Online Cheating”, and here are a few: (1) Set a time limit to your exam, (2) Avoid straight objective tests, (3) Put on a print screen blocker, (4) Use a password to protect your exams, and (5) Display one question at a time instead of displaying the entire test.

What additional considerations for online teaching should be made to help detect or prevent cheating and plagiarism?

In my research on plagiarism tools, I came across the quickonlinetips.com site which offers 13 suggestions to prevent plagiarism. Here are a few: (1) Copyright Banners, (2) License your content, (3) protect your RSS feed, (4) Provide Partial Feeds, (5) Watermark your content, (6) Prevent Image Hotlinking (view the following link to see how to prevent Hotlinking: http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/smarter-way-to-prevent-image-hotlinking-with-htaccess/

In conclusion, I’m convinced by Dr. Palloff’s suggestion to make assessments as real-world as possible, enabling collaboration and research during tests. This can only prepare students for real work situations, which is the purpose of education after all.

References:

http://www.richlandcollege.edu/dl/cheating.php

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/smarter-way-to-prevent-image-hotlinking-with-htaccess/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Fw6NxvwP41U

http://www.duplichecker.com/Services.asp

http://www.ithenticate.com/products/

http://turnitin.com/static/products/index.php

Video: “Plagiarism and Cheating”. Dr. Palloff and Pratt

Impact of Multimedia and Technology

Q1. What impact does technology and multimedia have on online learning environments?

Answer: Technology and multimedia is the key in the online learning environment; it’s what makes a course engaging for the participants. To ensure an effective learning experience utilizing technology and multimedia in online learning, you must ensure that the learners are equipped with the technical knowledge and ensure the technology is user friendly enough to keep the participant focused on the learning content, and not on how to utilize the technology.

Q2: What are the most important considerations an online instructor should make before implementing technology?

Answer: It’s important that the instructor does not overwhelm the participants by introducing too many forms of technology. As indicated in the course reading, it’s important for an instructor to pick one to three tools that are best suited for the learning environment. Online Schooling offers great examples of ways to introduce new technology into the online classroom. Here are a few: (1) Prepare students in advance, (2) Give clear, detailed written instructions, (3) Use Snipping Tool to give screen shots, (4) Prepare for people using different operating systems, and (5) Reward proficiency.

Q3: What implications do usability and accessibility of technology tools have for online teaching?

Answer: Just as previously stated, it’s imperative for instructors and designers to take into consideration of the various operating systems when introducing tools to online learners. As long as the variations of accessibility are taken into consideration upon creation of learning content, and accounted for in the instructions of usage, there should be no problems if defined properly and support is made available.

Q4: What technology tools are most appealing to you for online teaching as you move forward in your career in instructional design?

Answer: I have a few tools of preference in online design and development. I enjoy using Flash for interactivity, Dreamweaver as a platform, Firefly Simulations for technical learning to provide the real-world effect, and Fireworks for graphics in a corporate environment. These are primary development tools that I would enjoy utilizing.

References

http://www.webjunction.org/e-learning/articles/content/443585

http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/online-teaching/classroom-technology

Course Text: The Online Teaching Survival Guide

Discussion 3: Setting Up An Online Learning Experience

In an effort to obtain as much insight and knowledge from an online course, understanding at least the fundamentals of the available technology is necessary. As a student, a great deal of time can be lost when the focus is set on learning the technology needed to perform a lesson, as oppose to focusing on the lesson itself.With this program, I was impressed and thankful that I was given a pre-enrollment test on my ability to maneuver through the system. It gave me insight on the necessary technology used for general access, and gave me confidence prior to the start of classes.As indicated by Watson, "Introducing an online component to an educational environment can offer many benefits to teachers and students. However success often relies on how appropriate teh chosen technology is for the context in which it is intended, and how well it is integrated into the learning process".




Online courses can bring about an inital anxiety for students, so it's important to relieve some of the anxiety with clear concise assignments and program structure. Structure consistency throughout a course by the instructor helps in achieving the outcome that they are looking for from course participants.The instructor's should ensure that the curricula is specific, measureable, actionable, relevant, and timed appropriately.



Instructors should work to ensure that participants are comfortable in the online environment, with their peers as well as the instructor. A positive level of comfort will increase student engagement and participation. It's also important for online instructors to adhere to a strong sense of ethics when working with students online.

References:

Watson, K. "Consideration for Choosing Technology"

http://www.scrib.com/

http://www.id.bcit.ca/

Learning Resources Unit, Burnaby BC.

http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm#ethics

Welcome!

The world of virtual learning is expanding and I'm very excited about this course. I look forward to learning how to appropriately apply various strategies to effectively grasp my audience. I'm sure Ms. Dawson will do a great job challenging me in this area.

Looking forward to great fun and lots of creativity.

Reflections

Learning Theories and Instruction Reflection




This course has provided me to a great deal of knowledge about the various learning styles and theories. In the beginning, I believed that we learned only through auditory, kinesthetic, or visual. At that time, I knew that I was a visual learner because I had to see the message before me in order to grasp it, though I thought. Through our resources, I learned that everyone learns in each of the ways mentioned, depending on the message, environment, and individual delivering the message. I also was surprised by the amount of theories that were involved in the way we learned. I learned that my learning style tend to follow the cognitive and constructivism theories. This means that I’m a process learner, almost like building blocks in my mind. I must be able to logically connect initial information to the next in order for an understanding to take place. In addition to following a logical process, I’ve learned that I’m also able to process information through interactions with others. I must be able to find reasoning behind what I’m learning through my peers or environment, in order for the information to resonate. I realized this I thinking about how I handle new tasks on the job. It always seemed to come easy to me, I believe because of the relevance of the information being taught.

I once believed that I retained information primarily through repetition. However, Dr. Ormrod educated me on the fact that the information that I was repeating to remember, was only being stored in short term memory, which would be forgotten or not recallable when needed over time. I learned that multiple methods of learning were more effective, such as a course with visual and auditory mechanisms. Information given in multiple methods tend to be more effective because information is given over and over in different ways increasing the chance of at least one method triggering the LTM. I learned that rehearsal storage will only work in limited situations according to Dr. Ormrod.

Prior to this course, I did not understand the various “ism” and the most effective order of usage. I learned through Standridge’s article, that Behaviorism is best fit for beginning courses, entry level learners because it focuses a great deal on making a connection through observation, positive and negative reinforcements, and repetition. In this article, Kerr states, “It seems to me that each ism is offering something useful without any of them being complete or stand alone in their own right.” I believe that although theorist have not found a way to effectively bring the valuable theories together, as an ID, it’s important and useful to understand each ism and how to effectively draw from each to build an effective learning experience. Dr. Ormrod discussed the Terminal Behavior approach which discussed the most effective way in determining which theories will be utilized in creating the learning experience, but also in determining the most effective reinforcements to use in obtaining the desired learning outcome. This course has taught me that the most effective use of theories for instructional design should be Behaviorist, learning through observation, memory, and reinforcement. Next would be Cognitive, applying logic to what is already know/learned, as well as applying reasoning behind what is being learned. Then in my opinion, either Constructivism or Social learning would be equally beneficial because both deal with engaging with others using what is already known, and/or modeling others. Then broadening your knowledge through networks, or social technology which is Connectivism. In order for this to work, learners must have a strong initial understanding of the topic to constructively communicate, or connect with their networks.

I know have an understanding of how to utilize the three adult learning experiences when designing material. The experiential learning style is learning through doing. It is an extremely effective learning style because it forces individuals to have actual hands on experience as they are learning. The best example of this is simulation, which is typically utilized in system training. Next, there is Project Based Learning which focuses on group collaboration. This is style forces individuals to be leaders, even which could lead to negative results for those that are not strong in leadership roles. This would not be good for introverts because it takes them completely out of their comfort zone. Now, if this is the goal, perfect! If not, it could demonstrate a false truth in those individuals’ actual abilities. Lastly, there is Self-directed learning. This type of learning is obtained solely through life experiences. This method tends to keep individuals too much in their comfort zones, not allowing for a challenge. If the goal is to challenge an individual, this would not be an effective learning method.

In conclusion, I have learned a great deal about my learning styles and how to effectively take all other styles in consideration when developing material. I’m now a follower of Keller’s ARCS Model, and plan to apply it along with Song’s logic when designing and developing future material.



References:

References:

Standridge, M. (2001). Behaviorism. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology

Dr. Jeanne Ormrod “Learning Theories and Instruction”

Conlan, J., Grabowski, S., & Smith, K. (2003). Adult learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology.

Learning Theories and Instruction

Fitting the Pieces Together

In the beginning of this course, it appeared evident that my learning style was geared around the cognitive and constructivist theories. As a cognitive learner, I would need to make the learning topic was something meaningful and relevant to me in order to mentally commit to grasping the information for storage in my long term memory. In addition to making the information relevant, I believed that the information would need to be repeated in different formats for me to grasp it. I believed that repetition of information was key if I planned to retain it. I also believed that I followed constructivism. I believed that knowledge emerged in the context in which it is relevant, which worked hand in hand with cognitive learning. I felt that it was easier for me to grasp information that I knew would be valuable and utilized to enhance current knowledge. I had to see it useful to my environment whether it is personal or professional.


In this seventh week, my perspective has changed slightly. First, I believe that I can follow any of the learning theories depending on what is being learned and its purpose. I believe that I learn through behaviorism, observation of others behavior, which is enhanced when reward and punishment are factors. I still believe that Cognitive learning is my primary method for learning. I still believe that I need relevance, structure, purpose, and clear objectives to grasp information. I believe that I tend to follow the constructivist theory through my need to create meaning through my interactions with others in my environment. However, I feel that now I learn more toward the Social Learning Theory as opposed to Constructivist. I realize that I learn a great deal through modeling others in my career, and personally. Once I realize that I want to learn something, and I have a resource to model, that’s the route that I would take over anything else. Connectivism theory is not a strong theory that I follow because I’m not keen on networking, however I have noticed that I learn a great deal through technological social networks. The use of technology today and brought out my ability to socialize as myself, enabling me to grow through others.

Technology is used in almost every way of my learning. I use the computer daily to learn about news around the world, communicate with colleagues and peers. Technology is used to research information in my professional and personal world. I also use various online social networks and blogs for researching purposes, and general knowledge. Technology is used in my professional life to determine assessment scores and evaluation outcome for curriculum enhancements on current training. Technology is critical in my life today for quick, easy, extensive learning at my disposal 24/7.

Week 5: Adult Learners and Connectivism - Application

My network has changed tremendously from the way that I’ve learned in the past. I find that my need for information is all obtained online versus having to perform research through the library or face to face study groups as I did when pursing my undergraduate degree. My study resources are now obtained through internet connections. I keep in touch with friends and family through social networks such as Facebook and Myspace.


The digital tools the best facilitate learning for me are my laptop with Windows XP and Vista operating systems, IPOD for on quick on the go information and scheduling. The information highway and the portability of my laptop allow me to maintain my daily responsibilities such as work, kids’ activities, and family while keeping on top of my assignments. While my daughter is at volleyball practice 3 days per week I bring my laptop with me to perform assignments and research. At work, I’m able to pull up assignments and resources during my down times at work. Technology has really made furthering my education more feasible with my hectic lifestyle.

When I have questions or need further insight on a topic I turn to the internet or Barnes and Nobles. The information highway has provided answers to any question that I may have regarding any topic. When detailed research is required I spend a great deal of time at Barnes and Nobles bookstore as oppose to the public library. Although the information is free and plentiful in the public library, I enjoy the environment of Barnes and Nobles. Typically, I begin with the internet and from there I move to Barnes and Nobles with resource information that I’ve gathered to obtain related literature. When I have questions pertaining to an assignment, policy, or procedure I use the school web portal and resources to get those questions answered quickly. Walden resources have proven very helpful and quick enabling me to meet assignment timelines.

My personal learning networks support my view of connectivism by enabling me to venture out of my daily bubble through the use of the internet. I’m a very introverted individual and I’m truly able to express myself online without the hesitations that I would probably have if connected in a face to face environment.

Connectivism