Former university professor, Crawford Killian, offers a terrific article this week in The Tyee; fair warning to all incoming freshmen. Check out ‘Plagiarism for Beginners‘.
Killian notes that “When the big term papers come due late in the semester, some of you will submit examples of either dumb plagiarism or crooked plagiarism. This is not because you are really dumb or crooked, but because you live on the far side of a cultural gulf from your profs and the whole academic world.” While his observation is well founded and couldn’t be any closer to the truth, is placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of the student? Truly, who is a fault? The student? His peers? His generation? What about previous teachers? The education institution as a whole? Society? How about mom and dad?
Obviously, there isn’t one simple solution–nor should there be–as it is a complex and multifaceted international (and ongoing) problem that involves work ethic, morals, respect, and good old trust.
Have things really changed since 1920? Did we expect technology to change it?
I wonder…
Have we, as educators, failed the class of 2014?
JY
GETTING CURIOUS 