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This document explores the challenges and perspectives behind the initiative for enabling Mexican universities and research centers to access the Turnitin software, a strategy for promoting greater ethics in academic and scientific communications. It presents information obtained through documentary research, from the experience of using the software during the last academic semester, from interviews with the coordinator of the National Consortium of Scientific and Technological Resources (CONRICyT), and with the Turnitin company representative for Mexico. Given the emerging nature of this project and the complexity of the issue, the results presented consist of a non-comprehensive list of benefits and challenges that emerged from using the software, as well as recommendations to harness its use and consolidate a culture for the ethical use of information in academic and scientific communications.

Purpose This study aims to develop both an activity and an instrument to support college students’ learning of the proper ways to paraphrase. Design/methodology/approach This study used a participatory action research approach, consisting of four phases. A survey was used to collect information, as well as a rubric to evaluate students’ competencies in paraphrasing, before and after an educational intervention activity. The tools were designed by the authors. Findings The findings suggest that students only have a partial understanding of the elements that are needed to write an adequate paraphrase, despite the declared importance in academic dialogue by the majority of them. The findings also suggest that a short-range intervention can help students develop their skills in paraphrasing. Research limitations/implications This research was conducted mostly with a small group of first-year college students and a professor they have known for a year. Therefore, a level of trust had been established. This trust relationship is necessary to achieve a participatory action in an unscheduled activity. Only some of the major results are presented. Originality/value Little actual research has been conducted on college students’ perception on paraphrasing and its importance, as well as on their abilities to paraphrase, especially in the Latin American context. This study demonstrates the usefulness of a short-range intervention that can be easily applied in any course or information literacy program.

La presente investigación expone un conjunto de estándares compuestos de distintas dimensiones e indicadores de rendimiento para evaluar la competencia en la comunicación científica en profesores universitarios mexicanos. El estudio se integró por distintas fases complementarias y subsecuentes: (i) investigación documental sobre elementos normativos y teóricos que sustentan la identificación inicial de indicadores de rendimiento de evaluación comunicación científica; (ii) validación de información por 32 investigadores expertos en ciencias; (iii) validación de información por 62 expertos en alfabetización informacional (ALFIN); y (iv) derivación de un conjunto de estándares, mismos que fueron probados en 28 profesores universitarios del área de las ciencias químicas con potencialidad científica. Los resultados de la investigación definieron un conjunto de estándares integrados por ocho dimensiones y 34 indicadores de rendimiento, para posteriormente probar su funcionalidad diagnosticando niveles individuales y colectivos de competencia en comunicación científica, favoreciendo la identificación de fortalezas y debilidades, con lo cual se posibilita el diseño de propuestas de mejora a través de procesos planeados de cambio y beneficiando el desarrollo de habilidades hacia la producción y comunicación científica. Abstract: The present research exposes a set of standards composed of different dimensions and performance indicators to evaluate the competence in scientific communication in Mexican university professors. The study consisted of different complementary and subsequent phases: (i) documentary research on normative and theoretical elements that support the initial identification of performance indicators for scientific communication evaluation; (ii) validation of information by 32 expert researchers in science; (iii) validation of information by 62 experts in information literacy (IL); and (iv) derivation of a set of standards, which were tested by 28 university professors in the area of chemical sciences with scientific potential. The results of the research defined a set of standards made up of eight dimensions and 34 performance indicators, to later test their functionality by diagnosing individual and collective levels of competence in scientific communication, favoring the identification of strengths and weaknesses, thereby enabling the design of improvement proposals through planned processes of change and benefiting the development of skills towards scientific production and communication.

This work corresponds to a practical and transversal integration process of Information Literacy in university curricula, specifically with undergraduate students from the Philosophy program of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua (Mexico), by developing alternatives to evolve traditional classroomteaching practices toward integrating Learning Communities and using Action Research as means ofinfluencing a continuous improvement upon learning processes. This chapter discusses basic concepts from this study and provides the results, which were a product of the data collected from ethnographicprocesses. This practical experience has demonstrated the feasibility of combining this study’scomponents for the achievement of active learning, but also for identifying specific elements that inhibita full implementation.

Resumen:El presente documento expone los resultados de una investigación enfocada en la búsqueda de teorías que den sustento a lo que deberá ser un modelo para evaluar la participación institucional en el desarrollo de las competencias informacionales del estudiantado. La investigación se basa principalmente en revisión de la literatura y en las reflexiones que las lecturas inspiraron. Los resultados llevan a las personas autoras a concluir que un modelo de evaluación puede enmarcarse en la Teoría General de Sistemas en cuanto a la transformación que se espera lograr en estudiantes durante su paso por la universidad, pero que para lograr una visión más completa se requiere identificar una teoría del aprendizaje; se encuentra que la que puede brindar mayores explicaciones es la recientemente desarrollada Teoría del Conectivismo, como una forma de expansión de las teorías constructivistas del aprendizaje. Abstract:This document presents the results of a study focused on the search for theories to support what should be an evaluation model of university efforts aimed to develop student's information competencies. The research is mainly based on literature review and on the reflections that the readings inspired. The results lead the authors to conclude that an evaluation model can be framed in the General Systems Theory as to the transformation to be achieved by students during their pass by the university; nevertheless, for a more complete picture, it is necessary to identify a learning theory: we observe that one that may provide further explanations is the recently developed theory of Connectivism, as a way of expanding constructivist theories of learning.