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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: What's the penalty for plagiarism in Chinese universities?
I don't know about fellow teachers here, but my kids have pretty much mastered the art of plagiarism. I have to push them to extremes for them to come up with an original thought. By default, they'll look for something someone wrote on the topic and either re-write it verbatim or plagiarize.
I've tried warning them things would be different in university and they'd be risking a lot...but that may have partly been empty threats, as I don't know what the penalty actually is in Chinese universities.
11 years 51 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
The penalty for plagiarism at a Chinese university is a degree from them.
Penalty? Not a chance.
The Chinese university teachers don't care about it and certainly wouldn't be bothered to check for it either. I would venture to say it's encouraged. Remember, here, the end result is all that matters. It is of no concern to any of the locals how the result is reached.
You retake the test or re do the paper.
I once failed and entire class because they plagiarized an essay (even though this was an oral class, the head of the department wanted a written essay as part of the final). NO ONE could understand why I failed them all nor why I was so angry.
I have never again gave any written assignments, even when ordered to. I would just say "Oh, I will give it to you later".
Two of my students who went overseas plagiarized. One in Australia and one in the UK. And I had warned them specifically not to do so and what the penalty would be. They were dismissed from the overseas program AFTER their parents had saved and saved so that they could study overseas.
GuilinRaf:
Actually, it is fairly easy to spot. When a student writes or says words beyond his ability and does not know what they mean, that is a dead givaway.
GuilinRaf:
I had one student who wrote how "serendipitous" it was for Michael Phelps to be in the Olympic swimming team.
When i asked him what does that mean. he just stared at his hands.
When i pushed him on the issue "after all, you wrote it, didnt you?" he just stared at the paper.
Little did I know that in that class alone, I was going to see the same phrase at least 6 or 7 more times.
Now, get this: Even though the rest of the class is seeing and hearing what I am asking their classmate, NONE of them thought of looking up "serendipity" in their dictionaries. So, when they too had serendipity they too did not know what it mean, even though I had asked each and every other student who wrote it what did it mean.
Jnusb416:
They just won't look at you and won't care what you have to say anyway.
GuilinRaf:
yes, that is what I leaned in my fist year too. The school or the parents will "fix" their scores for them, so why care.
One kid did get mad at me once when I failed him. Said his mother (not father!) was an important official in Saanxi or Sanxi province. I asked "so?"
That really stunned him....
bill8899:
Google (baidu) the Chinglish, you'll find the source fast.
Penalty?? I think a 30K/month job, plus regular promotions... for thinking smart enough to do nothing and trying to get away with it.
the papers my kids have to write aren't assessed... (well, most of them). If they were, then yeah, they'd hate me more than they already do (I've already got 3 definite fails - and they haven't have final exams yet... I LOVE it! Just waiting for the complaining, screaming and bitching to come from those who aren't allowed to take the final exam, due to excessive absenteeism... something they've already gotten in trouble for in previous semesters...)
GuilinRaf:
I have a similar policy. Late three times equal 1 absence. Absent 7 times equal a fail.
What i like about the new school is that when it comes to class attendance, they actually back me up! I have some students who are repeating the course this term because they were absent last.
Jnusb416:
I wish I could penalize the students in some way. There are several who only come to class for the midterm and final. How could I possibly punish them? They don't care. The school probably doesn't care. Should I care?
GuilinRaf:
JnusB
Dont let them take the final, and if they do slip by, then dont pass them.
True, they wil be retested the next term, but they will still have the unpleasant though temporary surprise that they did not pass.
Take what little victories you can get!
Jnusb416:
Eh, I would but, this isn't like a great college or anything. I don't need revenge to feel happy. Obviously those that show up on a regular basis will get a better grade anyway. It really is upsetting to me that only one or two students will talk per class. I think it would be more fun if they participated.
I usually ask my students to do little writing assignments. I simply don't have enough time to talk to them all as much as I would like, so I don't grade on spelling or grammar. Usually I just ask them to answer some questions, but once I thought it might be more fun if they had a choice to write a story about 2 animals instead. Like I said, it was a choice, their other option was to answer some questions as usual. Out of 8 classes, 7 had either one or no people plagiarizing. But for some reason, in one of my freshman classes, half of the class either didn't show up or plagiarized some story from the internet. When I was grading their papers, I noticed that their English seemed to be too good, so I went through and put certain phrases in Google online and sure enough, quite a few had found their stories online. It's only worth 5 points, and they only have to write 5 sentences. Why would they do that? Why? I don't get it. Why just the one class? Why on only this one assignment? I gave those copiers only 3 points. I shouldn't have given them any, but maybe I am too nice. I give them these small writing assignments, partly for attendance, but mostly so they can practice their English because they don't talk (except to each other). I'm only giving 6 of them this semester, and I give them 20 minutes, which is enough for most of them, and then I go on but they can keep writing if they like. So why plagiarize? It blows my mind.
GuilinRaf:
For the essay I had to assign them, it was a 100 word essay.
One of the students got defensive when I scolded them. He justified it by telling me that 100 words is way too much and that I need to understand that they have "important things to do".
Not only did I fail this little punk, when I was ordered to "retest him" I failed him again. However, he got the last laugh because the school just had another foreign teacher, who did not know him give him a retest.
Jnusb416:
Heh, reminds me of this one student. He doesn't always come to class, but when he does, two different times during the 10 minute break, he asked me if he could be excused because he had more important things to do. The first time he said something else, so I said he could go. However, the second time that's really what he said. I wasn't mad because he wanted to leave, but he had the nerve to actually tell me that? Doesn't he have shame or a sense of mischief like the other students who think they're sneaking out by ducking lower at the back of the class as they go out the door? It really pissed me off.
GuilinRaf:
If they duck out of class or leave after the break, they get a double absence (dishonesty). In Guilin, that did not mean much, but in my current school it does.
Jnusb416:
Well, on most days, I guess it doesn't matter. But it does make me laugh when they duck out on days I give the writing assignment. I don't warn them beforehand, I just hand out paper for them (because they never bring paper to class!) and I usually make them write after the break. It's their loss.
Shining_brow:
I think your problem is lack of qualification... if you get the quals, you can get the better jobs, where it matters (more). Get to work in a better uni, which works with an OS university, who will actually listen to the teachers... keep them informed! Tell the OS uni who is failing - they'll take far more interest in what's going ont. (sure, you may not be popular here, but you can keep your head up!)
The place I'm at, they need an IELTS equivalent score... the students have to convince ME - and me only! - that they should continue. I've already told the OS uni about who is passing, and who is not... I get some respect from them (which gives me far more satisfaction than the money!!!) But, that doesn't matter - I've already been asked to stay on :)
Given that I have complete control over my students (and their grades), I made class participation a large part of their mark (many are still failing that :p). Not coincidentally, those getting a high mark for participating tend to get a high mark on exams (not 100% true, though - unfortunately... some put in a lot of effort - but just don't have the ability.. that makes me sad... they're good kids!)
GuilinRaf:
I am in a similar situation now. While not as much control as you have, I do have say in the students marks. Repeating a class if they fail , etc.
Then again, the place I was working in Guilin was like a third rate college....
is re-writing (as long as u state the source) considered plagiarism? i hope not...
Hugh.G.Rection:
So long as you are only using a part of someone else's work and you give the source, ideally in a recognised format, (e.g. Harvard) then it is not plagiarising but you are using another persons opinion. You should then give your own opinion as to why this source is being used. If however, you are re-typing a complete work and not adding your own input, then even if you quote the source you should not be given a pass. Other peoples work should only be used to add weight or discussion points to your work, it should not be used AS your work.
Given that one of the Chinese teachers here asked me to 'help' write two linguistics articles for publication, I gather that cheating is expected.
In general cheating in various forms is viewed as smart and efficient. What I don't get is the students who write well will copy an entire gosh-awful Chinglish essay/thesis/whatever from the internet rather than write something themselves.
A student once copied a wiki article including the [edit] links and insisted I must accept it and give her the top grade because it was well-written.
Control C + control V does not constitute writing.
Hahaha I just barely passed my exams, so let me tell you a story.
I've been in the renowned Beijing Language and Culture University for 3 years now, and I passed my exams 2 weeks ago. I got the results a few days ago, and to my greatest surprise, I passed this one exam in particular. The exam for the class about Chinese culture and all that. Now, as you may have guessed, I'm your average white middle class slacker kid, so of course I didn't do shit for those 3 years but playing video games and talking in Chinese OUTSIDE of school.
Anyway, as I said, I passed this one exam. It was supposed to be in 2 parts, the first one being a big essay about any subject related to the Chinese culture, the second part being an oral presentation about their culture as well.
So what happened, of course, is that I waited until the deadline's (read: Last day of that class) eve to rush a little oral presentation (which I started at 4am), which I managed to do... But I still hadn't done the 2000 words essay. I thought I'd find a way to get around that, and went on ahead to school. I did a terrible, terrible job during the presentation, and then realized my subject was totally unrelated to what was asked. "I'm done for", I thought. Then the teacher asked for the essay, I said I hadn't printed it or something, but she told me I had to give it back to her BEFORE 1PM. It was already 10 AM, so me and my friend (oh yeah I forgot, we both were in the same situation) went to his home and Baidu'd random shit about Chinese festivals. I picked the first link I found, copy-pasted that bitch into Word, deleted the hyperlinks and pictures, removed some useless paragraphs and made a small intro myself (which shows a great contrast between it and the text following when it comes to quality and the grammar level). Then we proceeded to play a little game of DotA just in case.
We made it right on time (huskar imba), and gave it to the teacher, just to at least be able to say we gave something.
The last week I got my resuslts, and I had 66 points on that exam. I passed with 6 points to spare. For copypasting an essay (with almost no editing), and doing an unrelated oral presentation.
My teacher is so damn cool.
Mr. Spoon. 'me and my friend' - university student? come on.....
Well this has been long overdue, but the problem is exponentially worse than one isolated case.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/scientists-china-reused-identical-scientific-121658711.html
copy research for a pandemic, what could possibly go wrong?
The penalty for plagiarism at a Chinese university is a degree from them.