2008 Woodie Awards
Letter: Unnecessary plagiarism checks
Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
To the editor:
I found the article on the mixed reception from faculty regarding turnitin.com very interesting. Did anyone think to ask for the students' reactions?
As a University College Student in the Bridge Program, I believe that St. Joe's is wasting money on this service and also on Blackboard. If there is no cost, well, then, I guess it doesn't matter.
If any professors cannot detect plagiarism on their own, are their credentials to be trusted? Do some students actually have $50 to buy papers? As an elder student, I would not know how to plagiarize, nor, would I pay $50 because I am on a fixed income.
The students are on fixed incomes too, and it comes from their parents in the form of an allowance. Having put two children through college with loans and plus loans, I know the struggle most parents are going through today from pre-K to college.
My comment to Dr. Caccamo, one of only a few professors mentioned who supported turnitin.com, is: "Dr. Caccamo, you challenged and challenged me to learn how to use turnitin.com. You challenged the class to use Blackboard too. Points were taken away from my assignments. E-mailing an essay was not an option." With regard to Blackboard, if a professor forgets to give students instruction in class, should it be the responsibility of the student to go home and go to Blackboard to learn what the professor forgot?
Last, but not least, both of these Internet services that attempt to assure academic honesty and to see what professors forgot were not always available for technical reasons. In my opinion, both services should be dropped as obligations for the students.
Margaret A. Marasco '10
I found the article on the mixed reception from faculty regarding turnitin.com very interesting. Did anyone think to ask for the students' reactions?
As a University College Student in the Bridge Program, I believe that St. Joe's is wasting money on this service and also on Blackboard. If there is no cost, well, then, I guess it doesn't matter.
If any professors cannot detect plagiarism on their own, are their credentials to be trusted? Do some students actually have $50 to buy papers? As an elder student, I would not know how to plagiarize, nor, would I pay $50 because I am on a fixed income.
The students are on fixed incomes too, and it comes from their parents in the form of an allowance. Having put two children through college with loans and plus loans, I know the struggle most parents are going through today from pre-K to college.
My comment to Dr. Caccamo, one of only a few professors mentioned who supported turnitin.com, is: "Dr. Caccamo, you challenged and challenged me to learn how to use turnitin.com. You challenged the class to use Blackboard too. Points were taken away from my assignments. E-mailing an essay was not an option." With regard to Blackboard, if a professor forgets to give students instruction in class, should it be the responsibility of the student to go home and go to Blackboard to learn what the professor forgot?
Last, but not least, both of these Internet services that attempt to assure academic honesty and to see what professors forgot were not always available for technical reasons. In my opinion, both services should be dropped as obligations for the students.
Margaret A. Marasco '10
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