Scenario:

A student had a journal to complete. The journal was intended to be a reflection of personal thoughts on a topic discussed in class.  The student visited a website and c and paste information from the website for the assignment. The Lecturer recognized that the journal was not a reflection of the student’s personal thoughts but plagiarized work. The case was sent to the AJC.

 Verdict:

The student admitted guilt. Based on overwhelming evidence (i.e. the paper matched word- for-word information on a website and there were no references), AJC found the student guilty of plagiarism.

Sanctions:

• The Student failed the course
• The Student has to present a reflection on lessons learned to colleagues and lecturer including an apology
• Student has to take expository writing or enroll in a writing program to improve writing skills

Lessons Learned:

• Students should pay attention to instructions for assignments
• Plagiarism prevents students from developing critical thinking skills
• Plagiarism is academic theft and may result in a failure in a course