Learning Journal #3 My Thoughts on Plagiarism From the first day I walked into a college classroom, the word plagiarism

m has inspired the fear of god in me. I witnessed a few students receive failing grades as well as expulsions for what was considered varying levels of plagiarism. I know how important it is; in fact, Ive become somewhat confrontational when, in group projects, another student has claimed my contributions as their own. Grrrr. However, plagiarism takes on an entirely new identity with Distance Education and On-Line Learning - the extent of citing references to avoid any accidental, incidental or blatant accusation of plagiarism is becoming a part time job. In my experience tutoring English and composition skills at the high school and college levels, I have come to recognize the extensive citing of sources as a deterrent to learning. Consider a discussion we would have in a regular classroom; we are sharing our thoughts on the first reading. Participants reference various concepts throughout the paper and NEVER say, On page two of Garrison, et als paper, The first decade of the community of inquiry framework: A retrospective, figure 1 clearly shows the interrelationship between the social, cognitive, and teaching presences of learning communities (Garrison et al, 2009). Topics would include the Community of Inquiry, John Dewey, the three presences, and how each original contributor has moved beyond their initial theories without appropriate APA citations. In truth, I believe that the extensive citing of references and sources that is required in Distance Education and On-Line learning is a deterrent to learner success. As graduate students, we are well aware of making appropriate citations on formal papers/assignments but where we may get caught is eJournals, ePortfolios and eDiscussions because it is in these forums where we are not only committing our comprehension of content onto paper, but mimicking a face-to-face classroom. Additionally, the new plagiarism includes referencing our own prior work! Considering my pre-published research paper on the educational systems being offered by the Seminole Nation, I can easily plagiarize myself. Yikes! So, I would ask, as both a learner and educator, where do we draw the line without overkill? There can be no doubt this WILL be a major issues for us all.

References Garrison, R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2009). The first decade of the community of inquiry framework: A retrospective. Internet and Higher Education, 13(2010), 5-9.