Students and the Internet: The Dissolution of Boundaries

Abstract

This chapter explores the information revolution represented by the Internet. It argues that a number of contemporary debates over the nature of authorship and the ownership of ideas and information present serious challenges to traditional concepts of plagiarism. Especially considered are students’ many types of interactions with digital technologies and the effect of a “flat world” on their thinking and information-gathering practices. The author then offers suggestions for improving faculty and student understanding of the new information environment and for sustaining academic integrity in the midst of a knowledge revolution.