What previous participants have said

“As a 'staff developer' it has been very interesting finding myself on the receiving end, for a change. When I first saw the course advertised I thought, great, online, interesting topic (reasonable cost!), I'll go for it. … I liked having the mix of reading from the textbook, the online work and the suggestions for further reading.”

“First and foremost thank you all for all the work you have put into this course. It was well structured with good content and easily accessible which was what made it possible for me to do it, at least to some extent, within a busy schedule.”

“It was also useful to have read Jude's book completely before starting the course; you could recommend future participants to try this.”

“I found all the activities useful, though not necessarily in the ways you may have expected, and I have unashamedly used the opportunity to learn about learning, e-pedagogy and so on. It has given me lots of ideas to use in my own teaching and to pass on to colleagues during discussions about course design/redesign and assignment setting, partly related to deterring plagiarism but also related to just teaching better.”

“The most valuable thing about the plagiarised essays was writing one; as it demonstrated both what was out there and how difficult it was to tell the good from the bad.”

“The time such a course takes is more than the 3-4 hours per week, but that's not a gripe; I've loved it. It's great not to have to travel for one day a week to a place to think about these things. I like the fact that I can log in late at night and read the stuff. So, apart from the issue of time management (a down-load and cut out 'do not disturb' sign for our doors?) I've been impressed by the e-learning format, even if at first, it felt as if I was outside the loop.”

“One of the most enjoyable things for me was writing the cod essay. I loved it! I learnt a lot about my chosen topic - that was a revelation, that the student might still acquire something despite the fraud. And how time consuming it is. Not the swift option I'd assumed, although it does feel like it's quicker. I also discovered that I felt by the end that I owned the material. So much so that I wondered if I'd pass a lie detector test while intoning, "It's all my own work."

“The reading material has been fantastic, much of it skimmed with a view to re-reading later, but I devoured the paper by Russell Hunt "Four Reasons to be Happy about Internet Plagiarism": it was a revelation and shifted my thinking significantly.”

“The course book certainly provides food for thought. I'm glad I read it all before we started.”

“I've enjoyed the contact with the outer world. I've enjoyed the discussion forum Web CT thing; it gets addictive in fact, checking to see whether there are new messages. I was initially confused as to who everyone is - the list of who we are was therefore very useful.”

“Like all the respondents so far, I have found this course a real revelation. I enjoyed being a 'student' and studying the topic. … Most enjoyable part of it all? My fellow students. 'Listening' to them, to their views, to what happens where they work - absolutely fascinating. Thank you all for allowing me to participate in that - a real privilege.”

"I thoroughly enjoyed this course and would heartily recommend it to anyone interested in exploring the issues relating to plagiarism in Higher Education. Online training was a first for me, and although there were inevitable issues of time management, I really appreciated being able to dip in and out of the discussions when it suited me. The final outcome of the group project was certainly greater than the sum of its parts, although the burden of work in producing the report did fall on those 'completer/finishers' who were presumably less able to ignore the looming deadline than the rest of us.”

“I have found the course engaging and informative. I have now a much better sense of the issues around plagiarism and collusion and feel much more confident talking about them to colleagues.”

“Key for me was hearing other people’s experiences of plagiarism and the mode in which they dealt with it. Also I felt that I was supported when talking about the way in which we are responsible for helping students succeed – not to simply catch them out. On this note I felt that the discussion of intension will be significant in discussion with my team. I feel much more empowered to help others embed anti-plagiarism techniques in their planning, assessment, and most importantly, teaching. Already I have suggested that the ‘skills sessions’ for our first year students are extended and there is a return to academic conduct wherever it fits most saliently.”