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[bander40]

I am seeking advice from online instructors on how to handle a somewhat delicate situation.

I am enrolled in an online class and have discovered that a fellow student has been using unattributed material in the class's online discussion forums and other posted assignments.

I have ignored this for a while now, because I figured if I noticed the plagiarism, surely the instructor would notice it as well.  I also did not want the instructor to think of me as a fink or someone who is arbitrarily policing his fellow students.  The plagiarized passages have been pretty obvious to me, and my suspicions were easily confirmed via google.

Although I have been reluctant to "bust" this fellow student, I am insulted by the egregious nature of the plagiarism and feel it endangers the reputation of our program as well as reaffirming doubts about the general integrity of online education.   

Should I email the instructor or just assume that eventually this problem will catch up with the student?  Am I complicit in the dishonesty by not saying anything?  Would you want a student to alert you to this problem?

Thanks in advance. 

[zuzu_]

Yes. You should email the instructor. Tell him/her what you told us. Tell her you are reluctant to "tattle," but that it's a disservice to all students. Be brief (no manifesto), and just include a few links to the material.

[wsr88d]

I am seeking advice from online instructors on how to handle a somewhat delicate situation.

I am enrolled in an online class and have discovered that a fellow student has been using unattributed material in the class's online discussion forums and other posted assignments.

I have ignored this for a while now, because I figured if I noticed the plagiarism, surely the instructor would notice it as well.  I also did not want the instructor to think of me as a fink or someone who is arbitrarily policing his fellow students.  The plagiarized passages have been pretty obvious to me, and my suspicions were easily confirmed via google.

Although I have been reluctant to "bust" this fellow student, I am insulted by the egregious nature of the plagiarism and feel it endangers the reputation of our program as well as reaffirming doubts about the general integrity of online education.   

Should I email the instructor or just assume that eventually this problem will catch up with the student?  Am I complicit in the dishonesty by not saying anything?  Would you want a student to alert you to this problem?

Thanks in advance. 

I am curious to know what type of class is this (subject), and level this course is, undergrad, grad, etc.?

[jackalope]

Yes. You should email the instructor. Tell him/her what you told us. Tell her you are reluctant to "tattle," but that it's a disservice to all students. Be brief (no manifesto), and just include a few links to the material.

Exactly. You need to defend the value of the degree that you have worked so hard to earn. Though I have to say, I would personally email the professor and then go and post the email right in the thread and cause a big sh*tstorm.

But then, I have always loved a big sh*tstorm.

[glowdart]

Our conduct code requires students to report cheating if they witness it.  If you are feeling squeamish, then you can also go check your code and broach the topic with your prof by noting that you code says XYZ on the topic. 

And yes, please let us know. 

[bander40]

Just a quick follow-up for those who responded.

I did inform the instructor of the violation (which had happened again), and he seemed to take it pretty seriously.  It's out of my hands now, I guess, but whatever happens will color my perception of this program and my faith in the faculty. 

[kamiakin]

You did the right thing. Good for you.

[didotwite]

Just a quick note to the OP:  you're not likely to find out what actually happens in response to your complaint, unless your fellow student simply disappears, as privacy concerns would prohibit the instructor from telling you.  So you might not want to judge the program on the (lack of) response that you'll probably receive.

[msoexpert]

I definitely suggest you contact the instructor and let him or her know about this. Plagurism is a very serious issue that's not taken lightly! Many instructors will give an automatic zero, and I've even known students who were kicked out for it. So it can be that serious.

As to why the instructor may not have noticed, there could be a couple of reasons. Some online instructors don't actually read their student postings. They really should, but with large classes and busy instructors, some just don't in order to save time. And that opens a huge opportunity for cheating and plagurism!

With larger classes, it's not uncommon for an instructor to select certain posts to read. That's to give the instructor a sense of what students are saying. So it's possible that your instructor wasn't reading everything posted by each student.

Regardless, I applaud you for catching this and not simply letting it slide. Your asking us for our thoughts should be commended! And so, I'm glad you are trying to protect the integrity of your class and picked up on what another student has been doing.

Whenever a student has come to me with an accusation like this, I always take it very seriously. And there have been times when the student thought it was plagurism, but I noticed there were enough differences not to be considered plagurism. But other times, it was without a doubt, plagurism!