Plagiarists always think they're smart enough to get away with stealing the ideas of others. When I taught at the graduate school in Shenzhen I caught plenty of students plagiarizing their assignments that shouldn't have taken them long to complete on their own (I wasn't even asking them to do any research). And those students were shocked when I could identify their work as plagiarized in less than five minutes (with 300 students, I couldn't afford to spend more than that much time proving plagiarism).
In the last few years, China has shown concern for the amount of academic plagiarism, especially at the graduate level. There have even been a few professors accused of academic fraud. To curb the flow of stolen academic essays, universities introduced anti-plagiarism software specifically for students writing their dissertations. This software sounds similar to what is used at some American universities--it identifies how much, if any, of the work is copied from someone else's published work (I'm not sure how this works when considering quotations and paraphrases). Apparently, Chinese universities require the percent of plagiarized work in a dissertation to be less than 25 percent of the total work.
When an institution places such an obstacle in front of students, there will be those who will find a way around it. Now, an innovative software manufacturer has developed another program to avoid the anti-plagiarism software--the anti-anti-plagiarism software. The software doesn't really sound much different from the original program--it tells students what was plagiarized in their work. It's easy enough for students to rewrite the work that the program identifies. Of course, the cost of this software (and the time it takes to revise the dissertation) could be avoided if the students just do the research and properly use and cite their sources.
Over the last year, I have spent plenty of time with students at the writing center reviewing paraphrasing and citing sources. Fortunately, most students who visit the writing center simply don't know how to paraphrase or cite--they were never taught these academic skills in high school. Unfortunately, not enough students put forth the effort to learn how to avoid plagiarism (or they just don't care).
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Environmental Magic
Throughout China I came across amusing signs. Some of them were amusing for the misuse of English and others were just entirely confusing. There were even a few hilarious ones in Chinese (my favorite is still the "Stupid chicken, duck" sign).
At one park in Shenzhen (it's testing my memory to think of which park I visited about five years ago), I came across this sign. The English translations were fine and the map was easy to follow. However, they chose some odd pictures to use as the map key.
I wish I hadn't found this sign on the way out of the park as I would've liked to see what the mobile ecological toilet was like. Why would an ecological toilet evoke an image of a rabbit in a magician's hat? And if it were truly a mobile toilet, why would it stay in one place on the map? I also wonder why the amusement facilities are represented by a weight lifter--I don't recall seeing any exercise equipment.
At one park in Shenzhen (it's testing my memory to think of which park I visited about five years ago), I came across this sign. The English translations were fine and the map was easy to follow. However, they chose some odd pictures to use as the map key.
To Malaysia
This post is sponsored by Malaysia Airlines.
Malaysia Airlines is offering travelers great deals to over 100 destinations including Europe, India, China, Africa, Australia and many more locations across six continents. The Global Deals, Dream Getaway campaign presents something attractive for everyone. The promotion kicks off from May 3 – May 18, 2011 (booking period) for the travel period of May 3, 2011 until March 31, 2012. Visit their daily deals page: Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Air is offering great deals for business and economy classes around the world--including departures from Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and London. With flexible travel periods until March 31, 2012, as well as competitive fares, it’s more tempting to travel to Malaysia and other destinations. With so many wonderful travel memories from Malaysia, I'm looking at planning a vacation away (though I need to check on personal funds (would anyone like to sponsor me?)). While I may not be able to afford the trip, I know a few people who are still in Asia that may want to take advantage of this offer.
All promotional airfares are for one-way economy or business class travel on Malaysia Airlines and includes airfare, airport tax, fuel surcharge, insurance and administrative fees. For a complete list of destinations and fares please log on to www.malaysiaairlines.com. MasterCard Worldwide is the official card of the Global Deals, Dream Getaway. MasterCard cardholders who charge their eligible cards on Malaysia Airlines’ ticket purchases will stand a chance to bring their partner to an exclusive "Priceless Moment" event at the end of the year. Those looking for exciting holiday packages, for both international and domestic destinations, can choose from the wide range of “Global Deals, Dream Getaways” bargains from MASholidays.
MASholidays, the travel and tour arm of Malaysia Airlines offers packages to over 59 destinations on Malaysia Airlines’ extensive network. All packages are inclusive of return airfare on economy class, airport transfers (selected destinations), hotel accommodation and breakfast. MASholidays’ tours and packages can be booked online at http://holiday.malaysiaairlines.com or through its hotline at +603-7863 4000/4040 or for enquiries please email masholidays@malaysiaairlines.com
Malaysia Airlines is offering travelers great deals to over 100 destinations including Europe, India, China, Africa, Australia and many more locations across six continents. The Global Deals, Dream Getaway campaign presents something attractive for everyone. The promotion kicks off from May 3 – May 18, 2011 (booking period) for the travel period of May 3, 2011 until March 31, 2012. Visit their daily deals page: Malaysia Airlines
All promotional airfares are for one-way economy or business class travel on Malaysia Airlines and includes airfare, airport tax, fuel surcharge, insurance and administrative fees. For a complete list of destinations and fares please log on to www.malaysiaairlines.com. MasterCard Worldwide is the official card of the Global Deals, Dream Getaway. MasterCard cardholders who charge their eligible cards on Malaysia Airlines’ ticket purchases will stand a chance to bring their partner to an exclusive "Priceless Moment" event at the end of the year. Those looking for exciting holiday packages, for both international and domestic destinations, can choose from the wide range of “Global Deals, Dream Getaways” bargains from MASholidays.
MASholidays, the travel and tour arm of Malaysia Airlines offers packages to over 59 destinations on Malaysia Airlines’ extensive network. All packages are inclusive of return airfare on economy class, airport transfers (selected destinations), hotel accommodation and breakfast. MASholidays’ tours and packages can be booked online at http://holiday.malaysiaairlines.com or through its hotline at +603-7863 4000/4040 or for enquiries please email masholidays@malaysiaairlines.com
Friday, May 06, 2011
Semester Endings
The semester is just about over. At least my classes are finished for spring. And I don't have to deal with final exams because the department grades all the essay exams to ensure consistency throughout the courses (we have a lot of adjunct instructors in the ESL department). I have discovered just how difficult it is for students to pass the level that I teach--across the level, only about 25% pass the final, and the rest have to repeat the course. This semester, about a third of my students were repeating the class (two of them for the third time). Fortunately, most of my repeat students passed the final.
Overall, it was a good semester with only a few bumps in the road. I thought one particular student would give me a difficult time through the semester. He was a repeat student with a lot of potential. Unfortunately, he could be a little stubborn and occasionally tried to control the class. He was in danger of failing because he didn't do any of the homework, and I gave him one final chance--he had to write eight essays in a week. He came in the following week with all his work done (and it looked suspiciously good). When it came time for an in-class essay, I saw that his writing improved exponentially (my suspicion dissipated). Somehow, everything I taught showed up in his writing after one week of extreme pressure. He easily passed the final exam.
One thing I enjoy about teaching ESL at a community college is the stories I hear from students. I tend to hear more personal stories while tutoring at the writing center, but my students in class enjoy sharing as well. One of my favorites to talk with at the writing center was an Indonesian nun. She was in a level below the class I taught and she had some difficulty with grammar. Every week she came in to work, she immediately asked questions about specific points of grammar--she knew what she needed to do to improve. Her greatest obstacle for passing the class was that the essay questions are geared toward a wider range of students and she doesn't share the same experiences (asking a nun about television shows is rather unfair).
Now that the semester is over and I don't have to teach for summer, I can enjoy reading again. I'm on my third book in three weeks. I was finally able to get around to Yan Lianke's Dream of Ding Village. It's a great translated work of fiction about the blood-selling scandal in Henan province that infected thousands with HIV and AIDS. It focuses on one particular village devastated by the disease. Although there is no overt criticism of the government, the book is banned in China. I will write a more in-depth review of the novel for Terracotta Typewriter.
Overall, it was a good semester with only a few bumps in the road. I thought one particular student would give me a difficult time through the semester. He was a repeat student with a lot of potential. Unfortunately, he could be a little stubborn and occasionally tried to control the class. He was in danger of failing because he didn't do any of the homework, and I gave him one final chance--he had to write eight essays in a week. He came in the following week with all his work done (and it looked suspiciously good). When it came time for an in-class essay, I saw that his writing improved exponentially (my suspicion dissipated). Somehow, everything I taught showed up in his writing after one week of extreme pressure. He easily passed the final exam.
One thing I enjoy about teaching ESL at a community college is the stories I hear from students. I tend to hear more personal stories while tutoring at the writing center, but my students in class enjoy sharing as well. One of my favorites to talk with at the writing center was an Indonesian nun. She was in a level below the class I taught and she had some difficulty with grammar. Every week she came in to work, she immediately asked questions about specific points of grammar--she knew what she needed to do to improve. Her greatest obstacle for passing the class was that the essay questions are geared toward a wider range of students and she doesn't share the same experiences (asking a nun about television shows is rather unfair).
Now that the semester is over and I don't have to teach for summer, I can enjoy reading again. I'm on my third book in three weeks. I was finally able to get around to Yan Lianke's Dream of Ding Village. It's a great translated work of fiction about the blood-selling scandal in Henan province that infected thousands with HIV and AIDS. It focuses on one particular village devastated by the disease. Although there is no overt criticism of the government, the book is banned in China. I will write a more in-depth review of the novel for Terracotta Typewriter.
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