When I took the online test at plagiarismtest.org, I failed! (The pass-mark is 100%.) I flunked two types of questions.
Firstly, the test asserts that “Students who lend other students in the same class copies of their papers, tests, and homework should fail the class because they are allowing other students to cheat.” Of course, I disagree because I believe that collaborative learning is – sometimes – legitimate, effective and socially beneficial.
Secondly, assertions about punishments rely on knowledge of the institution. For example, I was ‘Unsure’ that “There has never been a student given an F for plagiarism who wasn’t really guilty.” (Supposedly, ‘True’.)
So I come to the conclusion that the severity of academic misconduct depends on cultural norms within the institution. Teachers who use Turn-it-in must still take care to apply the same standards that are taught to their students.
References:
- Decker, C. & Burgess, C., 2003. Taking Plagiarism Concepts Test. Plagiarismtest.org. Available at: http://plagiarismtest.org/testing.cgi
- iParadigms LLC, 2008. Plagiarism Prevention. Turnitin. Available at: http://turnitin.com/static/plagiarism.html