Plagiarism 2010

The fourth one-day event on Institutional Policies and Procedures for Managing Student Plagiarism

25 May 2010

On a very warm day in Oxford in May, 70 people came to Oxford Brookes to discuss plagiarism policies; about half having come to this popular ASKe event in the previous three years of it running.

The day started with Rob Behrens, the Independent Adjudicator, from the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), who spoke about how important it is to have clear procedures for managing cases and, even more importantly, to follow them to the letter. Although student complaints about plagiarism are a minority in the OIA’s overall case load, they nevertheless tell us about how students feel about how they are treated and what universities can be expected to do to explain and justify their decisions.

In smaller groups, people chose between workshops on a range of topics. We heard about resources, advice on how best to carry out particular roles, electronic detection, and outlined case studies within specific institutions. All the workshops were very ably run by people who shared their experiences and insights, thereby building a sense of shared understanding and approach.

Later, after lunch, the whole group worked in groups of three from different universities and colleges. Discussion focused on similarities and differences in the way plagiarism was characterised and dealt with ‘back home’. Professor Ranald Macdonald used questions to try and guide delegates to thinking about how best to foster a culture of honesty and respect amongst students.

Throughout the day, knots of people could be seen in stimulating and earnest discussion: academic registrars talking with English language teachers; lecturers talking to administrators; researchers talking to managers, Irish and UK specialists comparing notes.

Based on feedback, the day certainly fulfilled its purpose of sharing emerging good practice and building a community around the management of student plagiarism. Whilst the ASKe CETL funding finishes in the autumn of 2010, Oxford Brookes is hopeful to continue this much needed and highly valued forum.

“Thanks very much for organising an excellent conference, both in terms of content and relevance, and in terms of it being such a smooth-running and well set up day.”

“The structured networking session was a really good idea, and well placed after we had already received a lot of information we wanted to discuss!”

“A fantastic event, thank you. Please find funding to continue with this 1 day workshop again. Great networking opportunity.”

“Excellent day, I learnt so much, particularly as I am a newcomer to plagiarism at a strategic level within my university. Have learnt what we need to do, what to change and what to keep.”

Event Information