Using Online Resources to Improve Writing Skills and Attitudes about Writing and Plagiarism of Criminal Justice Students

Cheating and plagiarism are significant problems in higher education because they occur often and interfere with learning. Plagiarism creates shortcuts that bypass the time and effort required to develop the writing and analytical skills necessary to produce evidence of progress in mastering course content. The purpose of a two-semester writing course for undergraduate criminal justice students was to measure students' (a) attitudes about the writing process, (b) knowledge about the rules of citation, and (c) attitudes about plagiarism. The authors employed two online resources in this process: Turnitin, an electronic teaching tool to forestall conscious or unconscious plagiarism; and Criterion, a web-based application that evaluates student writing. Results at semester's end indicated students had improved in the areas measured. Turnitin and Criterion were validated as viable teaching tools. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)