ERIC Number: EJ1266366
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Sep
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1570-1727
EISSN: N/A
An Institutional Self-Study of Text-Matching Software in a Canadian Graduate-Level Engineering Program
Eaton, Sarah Elaine; Crossman, Katherine; Behjat, Laleh; Yates, Robin Michael; Fear, Elise; Trifkovic, Milana
Journal of Academic Ethics, v18 n3 p263-282 Sep 2020
This institutional self-study investigated the use of text-matching software (TMS) to prevent plagiarism by students in a Canadian university that did not have an institutional license for TMS at the time of the study. Assignments from a graduate-level engineering course were analyzed using iThenticate®. During the initial phase of the study, similarity scores from the first student assignments (N = 132) were collected to determine a baseline level of textual similarity. Students were then offered an educational intervention workshop on academic integrity. Another set of similarity scores from consenting participants' second assignments (n = 106) were then collected, and a statistically significant assignment effect (p < 0.05) was found between the similarity scores of the two assignments. The results of this study indicate that TMS, when used in conjunction with educational interventions about academic integrity, can be useful to students and educators to prevent and identify academic misconduct. This study adds to the growing body of empirical research about academic integrity in Canadian higher education and, in particular, in engineering fields.
Descriptors: Computer Software, Plagiarism, College Students, Engineering Education, Graduate Students, Integrity, Scores, Assignments, Intervention, Prevention, Teaching Methods, Cheating, Foreign Countries, Text Structure
BioMed Central, Ltd. Available from: Springer Nature. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A