Plagiarism will not be allowed to compromise the value of qualifications
Tuesday, 22 June 2010 13:39
Isabel Nisbet, Chief Executive of Ofqual, was a key-note speaker this afternoon (Tuesday, June 22) at the Fourth International Plagiarism Conference in Newcastle.
Following her presentation, she said:
"Plagiarism understandably attracts the attention of schools, colleges, universities, learners, their parents and carers and the public in general.
"When cases of plagiarism are reported or discovered, it can affect confidence in the results that are issued, in the quality of the examination or assessment and in the value of qualifications.
"All of these issues are of concern to Ofqual. As the regulator, we strive to secure qualifications, examinations and assessments that are valued and trusted by learners, users and the wider public.
"Authenticity is key. Qualifications regulated by Ofqual must have authentic content – they must meet the needs of employers and Higher Education – and they must have authentic authorship – the work rewarded must be the candidate’s own. Ofqual will not allow either to be compromised.
"It is important to keep this in perspective. The official figures for plagiarism are very low. Over 16 million GCSE and GCE scripts were marked in summer of 2009, and over 7 million awards made at GCSE and A level. Penalties for reported malpractice were applied to just 0.03 per cent of these examinations.
"Despite these low figures, plagiarism can have a large impact and this is why we have taken a strong stance towards addressing this issue. We will continue to work with schools and education providers to reduce incidents of plagiarism as well as to improve their ability to detect attempts to plagiarise.
"Our relationship and work with Higher Education providers is hugely important in this work, informing our approach and helping create an environment in which students understand what cheating is and reject it, and those who do cheat are held to account.
"Their expertise is also helping to ensure that the approach taken to malpractice responds to modern pressures, especially the internet where text is now available to cut and paste through on-line books and essay banks."
Measures Ofqual has in place to address plagiarism include:
The GCSE, GCE, principal learning and project code of practice - this sets out the agreed principles, processes and practices between the regulator and the awarding organisations. It requires awarding organisations to have procedures in place for reporting, investigating and dealing with any form of malpractice and makes clear the responsibilities of awarding organisations.
Statistics – Each year Ofqual publishes statistics on malpractice to ensure the issue is openly reported on.
Ofqual Plagiarism Guides – Ofqual has produced a range of guides for parents and carers, teachers and students. These provide information on good practice for candidates, highlight the dangers of plagiarism, help teachers educate students on how to acknowledge sources and avoid plagiarism and to detect and deal with incidents.
Of particular note is Authenticity – A guide for teachers, which provides a framework for building upon the concepts of authenticity and attribution.
The slides from Isabel Nisbet’s presentation to the conference can now be found below:
Notes to editors:
- The Fourth International Plagiarism Conference takes place 21-23 June 2010 at Northumbria University’s City Campus East campus in Newcastle upon Tyne.
- The conference, hosted by plagiarismadvice.org, draws together delegates from the international educational community. In 2008, 250 delegates from around the world shared their experiences and expertise in this area. Delegates range from teachers and tutors, to those who support students at all stages of the academic process, along with representatives from accreditation and regulatory bodies. Delegates have registered from USA, Canada, Australia, Middle East, Africa and Europe.
- The themes from the 2010 conference place a positive emphasis on the value of true academic endeavour whilst highlighting innovative practice from individual practitioners and bodies throughout the education sector.
- For more information contact the Ofqual press office on 0300 303 3342 or 07798 924552.
