The End Justifies The Means Plagiarism Rules OK

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The End Justifies The MeansPlagiarism Rules OK

• Phil Davies
• School of Computing
• University of Glamorgan

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Where does CAA fit in with assessment?

• Multiple Choice
• Objective Testing
• Easy to mark (if any marking!!)
• Formative? Learn? Summative
• Test key skills? Employable skills? Subjective
  ability? Higher order?
• NO But it does reduce marking!!!

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We need Subjective Assessment

• Essays
• Marking
• Limited Feedback time constraints
• Staff opinionated
• Assess Grammar / Style / Content / Research /
  Plagiarism

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Make use of increased student numbers

• More marking
• Greater objective feedback Objectivity from
  range of subjective feedback
• Students will learn from performing marking
• More detailed marking web searching
• Student judge themselves against others

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CAP System

• Computerised Peer Assessment
• Embedded web checking
• Problems
• Why mark properly?
• Reward good marking / mark justification
• Positives
• Learn from looking at good and bad practice
• iterative process

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Does it work?

• Student feedback extremely positive
• Extremely formative No hopers pass
• only do the work if summative
• Students learn
• style
• content
• grammar
• web searching skills

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How do I benefit in the long run?

• Better pass rates
• Reduce quantitative marking gt qualitative
• Problem
• I dont assess them again to benefit from style
  and presentation gains
• Use the system for P.A.S.S.

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Use for First Year Degree

• Students from wide ranging backgrounds
• My module Computer Systems Fundamentals Three
  key areas (learning outcomes)
• Basic computer architecture
• Operating systems
• Web technology

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Assessment Stages

• Assess Outcome A (mainly formative)
• Assess Outcome B (mainly formative)
• Assess Outcome C (mainly formative)
• Amalgamate assessments A,B C to be assessed at
  end of module

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Final grade supplied by tutor

• No weighting of suitable marker
• Use CAP system
• Students learn
• Identify good sources
• Shown good practice
• Content explained at their own level

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Is this GOOD Plagiarism?

• Main assessment is final essay marked by tutor
• Mark shows final knowledge NOT initial knowledge
  eg heart surgeon
• Weak students are supported by strong students
• Problem gt convergent not divergent

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Conclusions / Questions

• Is it right to encourage plagiarism?
• Should we use strong to teach the weak?
• Is it better to get more students through rather
  than elite .. Convergent education?
• Learning Outcomes ARE fully met
• Students are fully assessed
• ALL benefit from iterative process

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When should we assess?

• Assess at end not through the progress of the
  module summative
• END PRODUCT how we get there is not important
  End justifies the means
• Students accept process . They can see personal
  benefits (not just to help lecturer)