How to Recognize Plagiarism (via Weblogs in Higher Education) is a nice resource for educators confronting this growing trend. Many students today have grown up downloading music, videos, and utilizing free online content. They've downloaded open source tools. Our traditional concept of ownership has not been transferred to this generation (and some would argue that it shouldn't be - the digital era affords new value propositions that need to be reflective of the abundance of content and low cost of content duplication). Regardless of one's stance, academic integrity states that what I say I've done is what I've actually done. If I use sources, I need to provide credit. Our free/open culture cuts a broader swath than most admit. We like to talk of the values of open source...but we need to give thought to some of the "unintended consequences". Blurring lines of what is "my work" and what is plagiarized should be top on the list for educators.
Posted by gsiemens at May 3, 2005 7:14 PM