Assessment for Learning: How Plagiarism could be used as an Efficient Learning Tool

Instructors should consider the role of responsible feedback as one of the main priorities of their teaching and learning strategies. It is well known that feedback is the bridge between students and instructors, as students’ work is reviewed and put into an appropriate learning context. In this context, we argue that detecting plagiarism should be an additional vehicle to allow students achieve settled academic standards. Plagiarism detection tools should be used to encourage students to follow best practices, and at the same time inspire and guide students to work harder. In this regard, quality feedback plays a crucial role in identifying areas of weaknesses in standards of writing, which should be considered carefully by instructors when guiding their students to comply with academic rules and standards. We must not forget that students are learners that need tutoring, mentoring, objective and clear guidelines that keep them focused and motivated, and this also applies to adhering to academic integrity. Accordingly, we argue that instructors’ feedback should also address academic integrity in an efficient and constructive manner. Plagiarism has very negative connotations in academia, and must be monitored. However, in this context, the following questions remain pertinent: What kind of action is required to prevent plagiarism? How can instructors use plagiarism as another tool to motivate and guide their students? What way can plagiarism be used for constructive learning and not as a way to punish students? We believe that the answers lie in responsible feedback. We explore the use of plagiarism as a constructive tool that can make a difference in the learning experience. We aim to offer an initial view of how instructors could shift from using plagiarism as a source of punishing students to a more constructive and positive end

Using eportfolios to encourage responsible feedback

This article aims to look at the value that ePortfolios can add to business studies, specifically in the financial field. In order to answer the question, Do ePortfolios contribute to the development and enhancement of responsible feedback in the classroom?, the study analyzed the work done by postgraduate students pursuing a Master’s degree in finance. A total of 151 ePortfolios were reviewed and analyzed, and a selection of comments from students is presented in order to support the main findings of the literature review. The authors considered this approach to be appropriate in order to offer an objective analysis on existing research and how their own students’ views blend with developed literature in the area. The authors also offer their own know-how on how ePortfolios can be integrated as part of the postgraduate learning experience. The researchers identified ePortfolios as being a complementary tool that help educators and students to get a better understanding of the course material and offer students an opportunity to reflect on their own learning and course performance. They also identified a lack of research on how ePortfolios can be used as part of the students learning experience in postgraduate education specialised in finance.DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v5i3.24

A Reflection on the Use of ePortfolios in Business Studies Programmes

Work placement aims to enhance a professional development and allow students to apply knowledge and skills from their programme of study. Students can struggle with both conceptualising work in terms of academic knowledge and the reverse process of transforming tacit knowledge from the workplace into a form they can verbalise. Additionally, they are isolated from their peer support group. To address these issues, we have implemented a blog assessment in Dublin Institute of Technology to actively encourage reflection and also foster peer-to-peer learning through providing an opportunity to share experiences of the diverse range of activities during work placement. A pilot was implemented for Pharmacy Technician students using the Institute’s virtual learning environment. As a result of this pilot and subsequent modifications made in the following years, we identified key requirements and resources to prepare, support and engage students in all aspects of the work placement assessment. Examples that we discuss include an assessment rubric, instructional videos and reflective writing resources, a pre-placement reflective writing workshop, feedback mechanisms, and assessment strategies that activity promoted student interaction with their peers. Evaluation results including the main benefits, recommendations, limitations and suggested improvements are also included. It has also been demonstrated that this assessment is transferable to a different programme of study as it was extended to the placement module for BSc (Nutraceuticals). Further work will include additional measures to guide students to focus on critical points during reflection, and will include increased emphasis on graduate attributes

Sobralia fragrans

Epiphytic, caespitose herb, up to 25 cm tall. Roots ca. 5 mm wide. Stems 120–150 × 3–4 mm, 1-foliate; covered by a basal, acute, glumaceous sheath. Leaves elliptic, acute, plicate, 16.5–23.5 × 4.0–5.5 cm. Inforescence terminal, covered by a ovate foliar bract, with a single ephemeral and membranous fower; foral bracts concealed by a infundibuliform sheath, 1.2–2.0 × 0.6–1.8 cm; peduncle ancipitose, 16–26 cm long. Ovary terete to clavate, ca. 20 mm long, 1.8 mm wide.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Jardín Botánico Lankester (JBL

Self-Regulated Learning and the Role of ePortfolios in Business Studies

Through a case study supported by observation techniques, and questionnaires to gather data, we explored the use of ePortfolios as an efficient assessment tool to assist business degree students. Our main focus was a postgraduate course in which finance modules were a major component. We analysed the role of ePortfolios in Higher Education Institutions over a period of four academic years. Our findings suggest that ePortfolios could be used to facilitate and enhance students’ selfregulated learning. The role of the instructor was found to be fundamental in the early stages of the learning process. This role diminished as students became familiar with the course requirements. Overall, students judged the ePortfolio as a tool to complement their education positively, as they noted a significant improvement in their learning experience and they benefitted from the breaks it offered from their traditional learning approach. The evidence suggests that ePortfolios could be used to support technical and complex modules in a controlled environment where support is available for students to prevent them losing focus on their core studies; at the same time ePortfolios are flexible enough to allow students to be creative and integrate their own ideas and views while they learn