How this Student Chose Plagiarism

Unless specified, the student’s words are shaded in most places. The multiple colors shown in one example below are from a file sent to her to try to help her see what she was doing.

 

Traits

Distance learning student

Recently out of high school.

Submission Of Answers To 2 Questions for an Exam

Both answers were from websites. One of them is shows below with her submission and the website side by side.

The website for the one below is http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080305115457AAQKXHP

 

Student answer to the term Louisiana Purchase.

Website What is the historical significance of the Louisiana Purchase?

 

Napoleon sold it to the United States for pennies per acre, and ended the period of French Colonialism in the midwestern portion of the landmass we now call the continental United States of America.

The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of 828,000 square miles (2,140,000 km˛) of French territory ("Louisiana") in 1803. The cost was 60 million francs ($11,250,000) plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs ($3,750,000). Including interest, the U.S. finally paid $23,213,568 for the Louisiana territory. Not a bad deal.

We got the port of New Orleans as well as the navigation 'rights' on the Mississippi River and Missouri Rivers. It opened up a vast region that encompasses the current region of 15 states, which comprises around 23% of the territory of the United States today.

Ultimately, division among supporters of this purchase and people who opposed it led to the death of Aaron Burr in a duel with Alexander Hamilton (their animosity towards each other was legendary and directly related to the purchase of the Louisiana Territory).

It opened up a vast area of natural resources as well. And at that time, it started putting pressure on Spain, as Spain claimed ownership of most of the southwest region of our current continental US as well as California and Utah. Once settlers started coming into the Louisiana territory, it was no big leap to move to Texas, where 'gringos' were welcomed as settlers - however, as we know, the Mexican-American War 1845-1849 ultimately led to independence for Texas and eventual admission - even though Mexico and Spain regarded Texas as a rebel colony.....so the problems all interwined....even until the Civil Warl

Napoleon sold it to the United States for pennies per acre, and ended the period of French Colonialism in the midwestern portion of the landmass we now call the continental United States of America.

The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of 828,000 square miles (2,140,000 km˛) of French territory ("Louisiana") in 1803. The cost was 60 million francs ($11,250,000) plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs ($3,750,000). Including interest, the U.S. finally paid $23,213,568 for the Louisiana territory. Not a bad deal.

We got the port of New Orleans as well as the navigation 'rights' on the Mississippi River and Missouri Rivers. It opened up a vast region that encompasses the current region of 15 states, which comprises around 23% of the territory of the United States today.

Ultimately, division among supporters of this purchase and people who opposed it led to the death of Aaron Burr in a duel with Alexander Hamilton (their animosity towards each other was legendary and directly related to the purchase of the Louisiana Territory).

It opened up a vast area of natural resources as well. And at that time, it started putting pressure on Spain, as Spain claimed ownership of most of the southwest region of our current continental US as well as California and Utah. Once settlers started coming into the Louisiana territory, it was no big leap to move to Texas, where 'gringos' were welcomed as settlers - however, as we know, the Mexican-American War 1845-1849 ultimately led to independence for Texas and eventual admission - even though Mexico and Spain regarded Texas as a rebel colony.....so the problems all interwined....even until the Civil Warl

Source(s):

 

 

My Response

In the Assessment Comments, I wrote that she needed to provide the URL.

Her Response a Typical Stage of the Pattern That These Students Show

She wrote back about both questions. These students seem to have patterns that they use, but those behaviors don’t work if the instructor uses a common source.

1. The object is to put the burden on the instructor to find the source that the student used. With a common source, I already know what the source says.

2. The object is to get the grade raised. Giving in takes less of the instructor’s time. The students expect to win with this.

 

For the Writing project you asked me to provide an URL. But all the stuff I said there was on the book pages 195, 200-201. and some of the things I have said too is from wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights>.
| |
| | The second part was also on the book, pages 241-244. And this website for the percentages and such. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase>.
| |
| | Please let me know what to do to get a higher grade on this writing project. Thank you!

My Response (Also by this point a pattern that sometimes gets through to them.)

| You did find in the syllabus that submission of work from the Internet is an automatic 0 for the assignment, right?

Her Response

The pattern includes a statement about how the rules are not understandable or held by any other instructor. Sometimes the pattern includes a statement like the last one. 

Yes Ma'am. I just really don't know how to meet your requirements for all your writing projects. It seem like even if I try my hardest i am still not getting good grades on them. I am so sorry if I am too slow on getting things

My Response

I sent her the colored table below. Her words are on the left, although not green. She had submitted from 2 websites, something that slows down the instructor. The purple was from the first website; the yellow, from the second.

 

What you said you wrote

What I found instantly when I searched

The first ten amendments, the bill of rights, instituted certain individual rights. The Bill of Rights was written after the Constitution had been ratified. James Madison introduced the proposed Bill of Rights in the House of Representatives on June 8, 1789. Congress approved 12 amendments for ratification on September 25, 1789 and sent them to the states for ratification. Virginia ratified the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791 and 10 of the 12 proposed amendments officially becane a part of the U.S. Constitution. 

 

 

And I quit here but….

First 10 amendments to the US constitution that instituted certain individual rights.
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/bill-of-rights.html

The Bill of Rights was written after the Constitution had been ratified (New Hampshire became the 9th state to ratify the Constitution on June 21, 1788). James Madison introduced the proposed Bill of Rights in the House of Representatives on June 8, 1789. Congress approved 12 amendments for ratification on September 25, 1789 and sent them to the states for ratification. Virginia ratified the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791 and 10 of the 12 proposed amendments officially becane a part of the U.S. Constitution
http://www.brighthub.com/education/homework-tips/articles/53118.aspx

 

My Response

| did you get the file with the color-coded comparison of your text and of two websites? Did that clarify why there is a problem that the world (not an individual instructor) will not accept?
|
| If not, let me point out the sections of Bedford Handbook that cover this

Her Response

The final pattern is sometimes this kind of statement.  Many of them persist with the one about how the rules are not understandable or held by any other instructor.

Yes ma'am I understand and I am sorry for the late reply. I didnt have any internet access the whole week. Anyway, I truly understand what I have done and the consequence for it. I will just try to do good on the next writing projects and the major one.

Thank you!

 

 

WCJC Department:

History – Dr. Bibus

Contact Information:

281.239.1577 or cjb_classes@yahoo.com

Last Updated:

2010

WCJC Home:

http://www.wcjc.edu/