Ethical Dilemma

[louti]

I'm taking two classes this term that deal with aquatic sciences. In one, we do bi-weekly species profiles on an aquacultured species. I just had a very similar assignment profiling an invasive aquatic species in the other class. Well, I could slightly modify this and turn it in for the other class. Would this be wrong? I see no problem, as it is my own original work that just happens to be appropriate for both assignments. What do you all think?

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by louti
http:///forum/post/3230931
I'm taking two classes this term that deal with aquatic sciences. In one, we do bi-weekly species profiles on an aquacultured species. I just had a very similar assignment profiling an invasive aquatic species in the other class. Well, I could slightly modify this and turn it in for the other class. Would this be wrong? I see no problem, as it is my own original work that just happens to be appropriate for both assignments. What do you all think?
I would speak to your profs and make sure that they are ok with this, but personally I see nothing wrong with it. I often encourage students to "double dip" if at all possible. For example we do a research paper in the aquatic class that I teach, and many students are also doing a research paper for an english class at the same time. If they can use the same paper for both classes, why not? Provided of course, as you said, that it is your original work.

 

[swimmer4uus]

I've thought about this myself. If at all you question whether the professors will accept it, I'd avoid it. In the fine print of my schools plagorism rules, this would be grounds for an F on the paper. "Work previously submitted for another class" BUT some professors see no issue with this and will accept it.

 

[meowzer]

How is it plagiarism if it is your own work???
p.s. I still think I would ask

 

[bang guy]

I would do it. It follows the paradigm of "work smarter, not harder".

 

[pezenfuego]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3230942
How is it plagiarism if it is your own work???
p.s. I still think I would ask
That's the way most of my teachers think. People do fail for it on occasion. There is a little bit of a difference from class to class. If you turn in the same poem a few times, that isn't quite as bad as turning in the same piece of art a few times. This is just my opinion. If this is a project you have to do on your own time and not in class, then I wouldn't have a problem with it. If you are supposed to spend class time doing this, then it isn't really fair that you get to waste it while others have to work.
Ask yourself honestly if you are going to turn in the old paper. If you are, then just do it. If you won't be able to live with yourself, then ask.
In my opinion, it comes down to whether the point of the project is to prove your knowledge or to do the work and learn something new.

 

[scsinet]

In college, I had an entire class called "senior project" that took a whole semester in my last year. I majored in information systems. The project had to be proposed to the professor/advisor and completed to demonstrate that I had mastered the material to the point to be worthy of a degree.
I was in college for the piece of paper. Most of what was taught I already knew. So for my senior project, I proposed and profiled the building of a classroom network that I actually built the year prior for one of my old high school teachers.
The point of the project was to demonstrate that I had mastered the material. Well... the fact that I did it showed that I mastered it, it didn't matter that I had previously completed the work.
Obviously yes, you should talk to your teacher, but if I were you I'd prepare an argument, based on facts (and not whining), demonstrating why the work you completed for the other class stands as applicable evidence that you have mastered the material sufficient for the intent of the assignment.
In the end, if they say no, the assignment should be a breeze because you have already mastered the material nonetheless.

 

[geridoc]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3230942
How is it plagiarism if it is your own work???
p.s. I still think I would ask
It is called "self plagiarism", and at the NIH and in the life sciences literature it is considered to be a form of plagiarism. That said, your profs might not mind (I wouldn't), but you need to ask. Either they will say OK, which is fine, or they will say no, which will save you an "F". BTW - watch out if they use Turnitin. We catch lots of plagiarism that way, including students who turn in last year's report again.

 

[pezenfuego]

Originally Posted by GeriDoc
http:///forum/post/3230976
It is called "self plagiarism", and at the NIH and in the life sciences literature it is considered to be a form of plagiarism. That said, your profs might not mind (I wouldn't), but you need to ask. Either they will say OK, which is fine, or they will say no, which will save you an "F". BTW - watch out if they use Turnitin. We catch lots of plagiarism that way, including students who turn in last year's report again.
What exactly is Turnitin?
What makes it better than google?

 

[aquaknight]

For all my classes this term, I've had to jump through loops with plagiarism, online quizzes about plagiarism, and all work has to be submitted online through TurnItIn. Not sure if plagiarism is really becoming a problem %%.
If you just handed in a printed essay, and they graded and handed the essay back, I doubt you would actually get caught, but as said multiple times above just ask the prof.

 

[aquaknight]

Originally Posted by PEZenfuego
http:///forum/post/3230978
What exactly is Turnitin?
What makes it better than google?
http://turnitin.com/static/index.html
You have to submit typed essays to that site, then they report based on percentage, how much of your paper was plagiarized. Granted for most essays there will always be some percentage, usual acceptable is 20%-30%, because you will use quotes and stuff. For anything that matches your paper, the professor gets to see all the stuff on TurnItIn that they have matching. Tricky stuff...

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by GeriDoc
http:///forum/post/3230976
It is called "self plagiarism", and at the NIH and in the life sciences literature it is considered to be a form of plagiarism. That said, your profs might not mind (I wouldn't), but you need to ask. Either they will say OK, which is fine, or they will say no, which will save you an "F". BTW - watch out if they use Turnitin. We catch lots of plagiarism that way, including students who turn in last year's report again.
I was going to say the same thing. I was in a similar boat one semester with 3 classes. The 3 assignments were basically the same except required more information than the last one.
The thing is, I had one teacher write in his syllabus that I couldn't use previous work. (jerk)
Anyway, the school uses some sort of software, they actually scan in the work, then it runs a check to see if it has been scanned in previously, including just portions. There is some math equation involved in what they consider too much congruence. It even checks to see if you've reworded it... (hey all this info is from profs trying to scare us out of plagiarizing)
So anyway I went and spoke with the professors and they were all fine with it. Except for that one mentioned earlier who had some reservations. So I flat out asked him, hey if I turn your paper in first, then I'd be abiding by your rules. And he said yes. So I turned his paper in first. Then turned in the other 2. The final product ended up being around 50 pages, but another 35 or 40 of footnotes and references.
I say all that to say, check your syllabus and speak with your teachers. They probably won't care.

 

[pezenfuego]

Originally Posted by AquaKnight
http:///forum/post/3230983
http://turnitin.com/static/index.html
You have to submit typed essays to that site, then they report based on percentage, how much of your paper was plagiarized. Granted for most essays there will always be some percentage, usual acceptable is 20%-30%, because you will use quotes and stuff. For anything that matches your paper, the professor gets to see all the stuff on TurnItIn that they have matching. Tricky stuff...
I sort of thought that was a myth. I thought it was kinda like the dye in pools that turns red when it comes in contact with urine.
Thanks for explaining it. It sounds very cool indeed.

 

[scsinet]

Wow... times have changed.
I've been doing work on word processors since middle school (Works 1.0 for DOS baby!!) but always handed in printed papers. It was probably easier to get away with stuff then.
I never plagarized... but I did get busted for plagarism once nonetheless... some buttwipe in my class swiped a draft of my paper from a trash can and copied it. I almost got kicked out of college.

 

[dragonzim]

Originally Posted by SCSInet
http:///forum/post/3231134
Wow... times have changed.
I've been doing work on word processors since middle school (Works 1.0 for DOS baby!!) but always handed in printed papers. It was probably easier to get away with stuff then.
.
WordPerfect for DOS here, with the template that went over the function keys with the black, red, blue and yellow functions! OLD STUFF!

 

[louti]

Well, thanks for the replies guys. I'm going to go for it. I kinda feel like most of you do. I've never really read the university's academic dishonesty code, but I really don't feel like I'm cheating, just working smart as bang guy said. These classes don't do Turnitin.

 

[t316]

Originally Posted by DragonZim
http:///forum/post/3231209
WordPerfect for DOS here, with the template that went over the function keys with the black, red, blue and yellow functions! OLD STUFF!
Dang....I remember that.
Times have changed SCSI. I lived in a fraternity house and my job/position one year was "advancement chair". This sounds official, but basically my job was to collect all test from the brothers, then file them according to major, class, and teacher. Sounds illegal, but these were test that were given back to students by the teacher. Future students then used this info. as a way of "studying". But I was shocked at how often a teacher would predictably give the exact same test or exam year after year. Ahhhh, the good ole' days...

 

[stdreb27]

Originally Posted by T316
http:///forum/post/3231236
Dang....I remember that.
Times have changed SCSI. I lived in a fraternity house and my job/position one year was "advancement chair". This sounds official, but basically my job was to collect all test from the brothers, then file them according to major, class, and teacher. Sounds illegal, but these were test that were given back to students by the teacher. Future students then used this info. as a way of "studying". But I was shocked at how often a teacher would predictably give the exact same test or exam year after year. Ahhhh, the good ole' days...

We used to do that in baseball.

 

[louti]

Actually, some of my professors give us copies of old exams, usually on course websites, to review. Of course, they don't ask the same questions, but it gives you an idea of the type of questions they will ask.

 

[geridoc]

Originally Posted by louti
http:///forum/post/3231249
Actually, some of my professors give us copies of old exams, usually on course websites, to review. Of course, they don't ask the same questions, but it gives you an idea of the type of questions they will ask.
I once took a course in cell biology in which the instructor gave us the previous 5 year's final exams, and said that our final exam questions would come from those questions. We thought that this was going to be a gift, but after spending a semester working out the answers to those 25 questions we knew everything there was to know about cell biology. Having the questions in advance was only a study guide. I have used the same technique in my 37 years of college teaching, and it works, so I am never concerned about students having questions in advance.