Scenario:
A student had a journal to complete. The journal was intended to be a reflection of personal thoughts on a topic discussed in class. The student visited a website and c and paste information from the website for the assignment. The Lecturer recognized that the journal was not a reflection of the student’s personal thoughts but plagiarized work. The case was sent to the AJC.
Verdict:
The student admitted guilt. Based on overwhelming evidence (i.e. the paper matched word- for-word information on a website and there were no references), AJC found the student guilty of plagiarism.
Sanctions:
- The Student failed the course
- The Student has to present a reflection on lessons learned to colleagues and lecturer including an apology
- Student has to take expository writing or enroll in a writing program to improve writing skills
Lessons Learned:
- Students should pay attention to instructions for assignments
- Plagiarism prevents students from developing critical thinking skills
- Plagiarism is academic theft and may result in a failure in a course
