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1 – 4 of 4Loo Choo Hong and Tung Lai Cheng
The Internet opens a library of wealth to the student and educator but it also makes it easy for students to copy when writing assignments. In this paper, we will look at how…
Abstract
The Internet opens a library of wealth to the student and educator but it also makes it easy for students to copy when writing assignments. In this paper, we will look at how Wawasan Open University implemented plagiarism-detection software in its course delivery. In 2010, the university introduced the compulsory usage of an online plagiarism-detection software known as Turnitin (Turnitin TM). Students are required to scan their assignments using the service before submitting them for grading. In this study, we observed two different course clusters; one cluster is numerically-based and the other is narrative-based. We observed the Similarity Index Report on student assignments from four courses in two programmes from the 2011 cohort. The courses are Business Accounting II, Auditing and Assurance in Malaysia, Human Resource Management, and Organisational Behaviour. Our findings suggested that plagiarism detection software can be useful for courses that require a studentto demonstrate a strong sense of originality in their assignments. Essentially, the software would provide additional advantages in any narrative management course where it is the intention of the instructor to ensure that students demonstrate a high level of creativity. However, courses that require students to conform to any regimen should not be subjected to the anti-plagiarism process as this is futile, as in the case of many numerical and mathematical courses. Courses that require a high level of verbatim citation such as law, assurance, literature and divinity would not work very well with the software. The inability of current software to differentiate between patterns and strings of plagiarism and cited work makes this exercise futile.
Pablo Antonio Archila, Brigithe Tatiana Ortiz, Anne-Marie Truscott de Mejía and Silvia Restrepo
Seeking online bilingual scientific information is a key aspect of bilingual scientific Web literacy – abilities to engage critically with science on the Web using two languages…
Abstract
Purpose
Seeking online bilingual scientific information is a key aspect of bilingual scientific Web literacy – abilities to engage critically with science on the Web using two languages. This study aims to determine whether factors such as age, education major, gender and type of school attended at secondary level (monolingual, bilingual, trilingual) influence undergraduates’ ability to search online Spanish-English bilingual scientific information.
Design/methodology/approach
The participants in this study were 60 students (43 females and 17 males, 18–25 years old) enrolled in a university bilingual science course at a high-ranked Colombian university. They were asked to complete two tasks in which they had to seek online scientific information in Spanish and in English and post their responses on the Web application, Padlet® (padlet.com).
Findings
Results indicate that students’ gender and age influence their academic performance in both tasks and level of originality in using information obtained via the Web, respectively. Moreover, the “scientific journal” was the top source of online information from which participants sought most information to complete both tasks.
Originality/value
People are becoming increasingly accustomed to seeking and sharing online scientific information to support points of view and make decisions. However, it is not known which factors influence students’ ability to seek online first language-English bilingual scientific information in countries where English is the second or foreign language.
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Lawrence A. Leger and Kavita Sirichand
The purpose of this paper is to describe and evaluate a credit-bearing taught module in literature review skills (broadly conceived, to include literature search, avoidance of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe and evaluate a credit-bearing taught module in literature review skills (broadly conceived, to include literature search, avoidance of plagiarism, analysis, synthesis, writing literature reviews, formulation of research proposals). The module provides training in skills with high transferability to employment, other areas of education and research.
Design/methodology/approach
The structure of the module is informed by considerations from learning theory and instructional design. Training is by participation in tasks in an active learning framework (“learning-by-doing”). Students work both individually and in small work-groups, on tasks based on specially prepared reading sets. Tutorial presentations are followed by verbal and video feedback. Dedicated English language support is provided. The module is evaluated by analysing responses to an open-ended questionnaire.
Findings
Students respond very favourably to the module and are aware of the transferability of the skills they practice. However, there is no real evidence of the acquisition of meta-cognitive skills. There is demand for enhanced feedback, particularly verbal feedback.
Research limitations/implications
The results of the evaluation and the instructional design of the module suggest many areas for experiments in pedagogy.
Originality/value
There is no other published account of extensive training in literature review skills that we have been able to find. The paper addresses a gap in both the provision of training and its dissemination.
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Suhail Ahmad Bhat and Ahmed Tauqeer Zahid
The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study undertaken to understand Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilitation and performance of business…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study undertaken to understand Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilitation and performance of business research process in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The study has investigated the influence of ICT-aided infrastructure facilitation on the effectiveness of business research in HEIs. Scale development for the various dimensions of ICT facilitation and business research process performance has also been established.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling has been used for data analysis across a sample of 164 respondents, which have been randomly selected from the population of business researchers pursuing their research in the HEIs in northern India. Questionnaire has been used for survey and data collection.
Findings
The findings of the study reveal that implementation of ICT initiatives have significantly enhanced the efficiency and quality of business research in higher education. Further, the study has found that ICT facilitation is multidimensional, consisting of three sub-constructs (infrastructure availability, human resource capacity and e-resource financing) and business research process performance consisting of four sub-constructs (facilitator, accessibility, ethical dimensions and data processes). It has been found that all the sub-constructs are related to their respective constructs.
Research limitations/implications
The study uses a small sample as the number of business researchers was less in the northern region of India. For more generalization and authentication, larger sample size should be used. Further, the study developed a scale and tested it in the northern region of India. Therefore, it becomes important to examine whether the same scale can be applied to other sector/regions and countries.
Originality/value
The study has added to the understanding of the relationship between variables, namely, ICT facilitation and business research process performance. It also identifies the ICT factors and business research performance factors, and empirically tests their dimensionality. The study emphasizes that higher learning institutes should be more knowledge and result-driven with immediate practical implications for business development and revenue generation.
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