[Plagiarism] : Syllabus
This learning unit is designed to help students understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid plagiarism in academic writing. The main audience for this unit is international students. By completing this unit learners will :This learning unit is delivered online. Therefore, before starting it is essential to make sure that you understand what an online class requires:
In case you have any impediments that may keep you from performing the actions listed, it is suggested that you contact the class instructor as soon as possible in order to find a satisfactory solution to this situation.
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This unit is about plagiarism but the overarching theme is writing. Plagiarism
is a phenomenon that will be analyzed and discussed with the purpose of
reaching an agreement on the most appropriate response(s) to plagiarism.
In order to have a discussion it is indispensable to count with the participation
of each and every one of the members of the class. Consequently, all members
of the class will express their thoughts and ideas in writing very often.
There is no better way to improve our writing!
Every member of the class is required to perform the following activities
regularly: read class related emails, read postings in the discussion board,
and post to the discussion board. During the first week ALL members of the
class will decide collaboratively on the minimum number of weekly postings
required.
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Honesty and respect are the foundations of a good class regardless of the mode of delivery. As a member of the class, each person is considered equal, with equal rights, equal access and equal responsibilities. Each person, therefore is entitled to be treated with respect and honesty by everybody in the class. Even though there may be a wide variety of opinions we should be honest and respectful of all the opinions expressed in the class. Each class has its own dynamics which are contingent on the context of the class. ALL members of the class will decide collaboratively about sharing the discussions, ideas and opinions expressed in this forum with people outside of the class.
[top]Writing is an activity that takes place in most cases individually. However, writing is a way to communicate with others. Thus, we will consider writing and plagiarism from this perspective. In addition, we will share our writing, by having our peers read the texts we produce and help us assess the effectiveness of our writing in order to improve it. In this process, every person in the class will alternate the roles of writer and reader to become a more critical reader/writer. We will also write collaboratively --in small groups-- to learn and benefit from the multiple perspectives that each class member brings to the class.
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In this course there are various types of assignments, in some cases each class member is required to do research online and then post their findings on the class discussion board. In other cases each learner expresses his/her opinions on the discussion board and engages in meaningful discussion on the topic(s). In addition, there are assignments where each student is required to analyze a text and produce a response that illustrates knowledge of the topic and reflects the discussions taking place in the class discussion board.[top]
In discussions, both synchronous and asynchronous, participation means posting a meaningful contribution to the corresponding discussion. A meaningful contribution is one that adds to another posting, posits relevant question(s) to further expand the understanding of the topic, or responds to a question posted to the discussion board. Note: Just says I agree is not a meaninful contribution!
[top]Below is the rubric used for assignments, unit review, group activity and evaluation
| The assignment exhibits depth and breadth of thought | The assignment exhibits depth but no breadth of thought | The assignment exhibits breadth but no depth of thought | The assignment exhibits neither depth nor breadth of thought | The assignment was not submitted |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
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| Grades | Points | Subtotal | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction/Homepage | 4 | ||
| Peer Introduction | 4 | ||
| Participation in class mechanics discussion | 2 | ||
| Introductions total | 10 | ||
| Own definition of plagiarism | 5 | ||
| Definition of plagiarism in own culture | 5 | ||
| NAU Definition of plagiarism | 4 | ||
| Participation in discussion about plagiarism | 4 | ||
| What is plagiarism total | 18 | ||
| Group guidelines for summarizing | 7 |
||
| Participation in definition of class guidelines | 4 | ||
| Summary | 7 |
||
| Summarizing total | 18 | ||
| Explanation of good and bad paraphrases | 6 | ||
| Paraphrase of chosen text | 6 | ||
| Peer feedback | 6 | ||
| Paraphrasing total | 18 | ||
| Post own discipline quotation format | 4 | ||
| Quotative words and contextualizing | 6 | ||
| Write 3 quotations | 6 | ||
| Feedback on quotations posted | 4 | ||
| Quoting total | 20 | ||
| Unit Review | 8 | ||
| Unit Evaluation | 8 | ||
| Evaluation total | 16 | ||
| Unit Total | 100 |
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| A | B | C | D | F |
| 100 - 90 | 89 - 80 | 79 - 70 | 69 - 60 | 59 - 0 |
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