Plagiarism prevention using automated tools

This paper outlines experiences in first and second year Engineering Computing at RMIT. It shows how an excellent subject design can have its education outcomes ruined if the scope for plagiarism is not severely limited. The reasons for the plagiarism are examined using surveys and focus groups, and it is concluded that the traditional long-term goals of university students are being increasingly replaced by short term goals which mitigate for plagiarism and against skills and knowledge acquisition. The proposed solution is to meet that pressure for short-term goals with appropriate short-term assessment strategies. The result is a "managed learning environment" where students are given clear reasons for a subject design and its purpose, and then face short-term regular hurdles throughout the course. A key requirement of this path is unbiased assessment along clearly-defied boundaries. To this end we have developed an automatic marking tool that applies the same standard to all students in a course and prevents plagiarism from happening rather than detecting it after the event. The tool gives students comprehensive feedback, and frees tutors and lecturers from the considerable burden of marking. The managed-learning approach appears to be working well, and ensures the majority of students do adequately master the skills and knowledge of Engineering Computing