Source:
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200210072148114
A lecturer who is serious
and who upholds academic integrity will always check for plagiarism and ask
students to redo their work,” he said.
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200210072148114
The sanctions for plagiarism at Rwandan universities are tough. But with the aid of plagiarism-checking software, some universities are tackling the problem head-on and winning. University World News conducted a survey among some universities to find out what they were doing to curb the problem.
Plagiarism is defined as presenting another author’s work or ideas as your own,
without full acknowledgement. It is strongly discouraged and students face
tough sanctions like suspension, missing graduation or repeating classes if
they are caught.
Ignorance
Valens Safari, a PhD scholar and lecturer at the Christian University of Rwanda
and Mount Kenya University Kicukiro Campus, both in Kigali, attributes the
problem partly to a lack of research methodology skills and knowledge. “Some
students do not understand research methodology and plagiarise due to ignorance,”
he said, stressing the need for universities to ensure students are equipped
with the necessary skills.
Safari said that at Mount Kenya University, where a plagiarism tracker is used,
it is easy to minimise the problem progressively. “At the beginning over 90% of
submitted work is plagiarised and we ask students to redo the work. An
acceptable duplication is below 15%. If it is less than 15% it is acceptable,
but we don’t encourage it,” he said.
“As it is detected students are required to redo the work, so the first
submissions have the higher level of plagiarism than the second and by the time
the final document [is submitted], you find that it has a sense of originality
to some extent,” Safari said.
He said plagiarising leads to students needing more time to complete an
assignment, which could lead to their missing graduation, enrolling again for
another academic year and waiting longer for their academic transcripts. In his
opinion, all universities should “embrace technology and use software checkers
as they minimise the level of plagiarism and this should help students put more
effort into their research”.
According to Dr Papias Musafiri Malimba, deputy vice-chancellor of the
University of Rwanda, it is difficult to find a subject that has not been
researched. Hence students have to put in more effort in research and always
exhibit a high level of professionalism.
Plagiarism checkers
The University of Rwanda has also introduced the use of the software Turnitin. Students are required to submit their assignments to Turnitin before submitting them for grading. “We started with masters students, but it is something we are building even for undergraduates,” said Malimba. In due course students will have to submit all assignments and dissertations for checks before submitting their final work for assessment.
Malimba said that no matter what subject students chose, someone else has researched something identical or similar. So students should ensure that their work is their own and a valuable addition to the body of knowledge.
Again, the plagiarism cut-off with the program is 15%. Anything above that is
sent for redoing or the student is disqualified and cannot graduate. “If it is
less than that, sometimes it is because you quoted someone but you did not do
the proper referencing and it is checked again,” said Malimba.
Academic integrity
Malimba also challenged lecturers to foster a high level of academic integrity, which he considers one of the core responsibilities of higher education institutions. “The business of teaching, learning and assessment is a serious undertaking.
A lecturer who is serious
and who upholds academic integrity will always check for plagiarism and ask
students to redo their work,” he said.
Serge Mbaraga, assistant lecturer at the University of Kigali, said cases of
plagiarism were on the rise – until recently when the university introduced
Turnitin. While it has not eradicated the problem completely, it has certainly
curbed it.
According to the Higher Education Council of Rwanda, all universities and higher education institutions should use anti-plagiarism software and ensure lecturers and supervisors uphold academic integrity and fight plagiarism. The use of software is a definitive start to curbing and eradicating the problem, paving the way for students who work hard to produce original work.
