Online college education

Online college education

Online college education

When I first encountered plagiarism online I was appalled, not only because it was happening, but also, because the student (adult students) thought he/she could get away with it. I became angry to think that adults could be so lazy and lax in completing their education.

Did it not mean anything to them? What happens to the integrity of the degree that I worked so hard for? I did not pay a fortune for my higher education degrees to only have it looked upon as a cheap piece of paper, or just another diploma mill trying to get students for profit.

Where have ethics in higher education gone? Plagiarism seems to not only be increasing in online universities, but also, in many traditional universities with little concern or so it seems. Is this because faculty do not want to become involved or is it because when they do become involved that there is so much hassle to go through to present a case of plagiarism that it is ignored.

For the list of best online universities, visit online university information corner!

Plagiarism appears to be on the rise today. Not only in education or online universities, but also, for instance, if you recall the case with the New York Times reporter, Jayson Blair (2003) who stole articles that appeared in other newspapers and reported them as his work. More recently though, a case in the UK as reported by the Labi (2004) where a student is suing the institution because the institution did not stop him from cheating (plagiarizing) on homework assignments.

The student stated, "I did plagiarize. But I always used the Internet, cutting and pasting stuff and matching it with my own points, he continued. It's a technique I've used since I started the course. I never dreamt it was a problem" (Labi, 2004, paras 2; 3). The student is currently suing for his total cost of the student loans. This could become a major precedent if universities do not wake up and realize the seriousness of this offense. Who is responsible-the student or the university, or both?

For the list of best online universities, visit online university information corner!

Most online universities offer degree programs to older adults who have busy lives, work full-time jobs, have families and many other responsibilities to deal with on a regular basis. Add to that another dimension of online education and the complexities and challenges become increasingly heavy. This does not or should not make cheating a right or even a possibility. Do students not realize what plagiarism is, or what it entails or is it that they do know and figure they can easily get away with it?

For the list of best online universities, visit online university information corner!

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