English 505

We've been working on the final project, and things are all moving along smoothly. Another student (my second) missed the max amount of absences and I had to fail him, so that was rough. However, recently I assigned a response (analysis) paper, and that's what my blog entry is about.

Basically, 6 students plagiarized information. Not that they copied something out of a text word for word, but they included a lot of information that they clearly got from sources, and didn't cite the information. I gave them zeros on the paper. However, my policy is to let any student who gets a D or an F on a paper revise for a C, so basically they're going to get C's (i'm positive they'll revise). I also took about 10 minutes of classtime to tell them more about plagiarism - how it effects scholars, how it effects them as writers, and how it effects them as students. On this last point, I read 2 paragraphs from the University's official policy on plagiarism (the consequences section). This definitely woke them up, and several of the students have come to me and apologized, some almost in tears (which I didn't expect). I was absolutely exhausted after class, and was kind of a vegetable for my Renaissance Text and Theory class later that day. I did NOT enjoy scolding my students, and honestly, I didn't like yell at them or anything. I did it Ed-style - it came from good intentions, you know? Anyway, it was quite an event for me - definitely another 'first'. All things considered, it went well, and I feel that I have instilled good academic values in these students.