Minimizing Plagiarism by Redesigning the Learning Environment and Assessment

Abstract

In this chapter we have raised a number of questions and made attempts to respond. These question are: Can plagiarism be stopped? Should we stop students from using the information available on the internet? Is it enough if the students just acknowledge the sources in their work? What action is required to minimize the harmful, and maximize the useful, aspects of internet use in the educational setting? We want our students to learn, and demonstrate their learning with honesty and integrity. In the institutions of higher education students learning is judged through assessment tasks in the form of assignments, tests, and examinations. We have to ensure that high stakes assessments do not act as an inspiration to cheating in the form of plagiarism. We have provided arguments in support of the integration of process approach with deliverables at the end of the course for assessment of students learning.