Analytical paper: Plagiarism among Belarusian students. Contributory factors, consequences, and solutions
The Ostrogorski Centre presents a new analytical paper “Plagiarism among Belarusian students: Contributory factors, consequences, and solutions”, written by Vadim Mojeiko and Piotr Rudkouski.
The paper primarily based on suggestions made during a conference on reform of Belarusian higher education held on 27 December 2018 in Minsk, organised by the Ostrogorski Centre.
Dedicated to the issues of higher education and its reforms in Belarus, the conference allowed academics, practitioners and administrators to discuss the existing problems and possible solutions. The main topics concerned new forms of practice-oriented business education at the masters level, modernization of higher education at entrepreneurial university framework, reforms of Belarusian scientific research, and the issue of plagiarism at Belarusian universities.
The analytical paper suggests that written assignments remain particularly vulnerable to various dishonest
practices – plagiarism being the most conspicuous. At least 50% of Belarusian students plagiarise. They commit all varieties of plagiarism, although “compiled” and “copy-paste” plagiarisms occur most frequently. It is very likely that a significant percentage of Belarusian students studying at Western-type universities also resort to plagiarism.
There is remarkable tolerance of plagiarism within the Belarusian education system. Lecturers are generally lenient when it comes to punishments for plagiarism. There are no critical thinking and/or academic writing courses, which would introduce students to good practices in respect of finding and processing data.
The current system requires that students produce a large number of written essays, but it does not give them tools for doing so appropriately. This is a chief contributory factor in plagiarism.
Other contributory factors of plagiarism include the absence of licensed anti-plagiarism software at lecturers’ disposal, the excessive workload of students and lecturers, lecturers’ low salaries, and the weak academic
ethos in Belarus. To start seriously dealing with the problem, universities should first of all train students in critical thinking and academic writing. It is imperative to give students instruments with which they can complete written assignments. No other measures will work if this element is neglected.
Recommendations
The research paper proposes several initiatives on how to decrease the plagiarism level among Belarusian students, however, the authors acknowledge that the use use of anti-plagiarism software remains far from being a panacea.
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Train students in critical thinking and academic writing
It is crucial to give students instruments with which they can undertake written assignments. No other measures will work if this element is neglected. The Belarusian students who plagiarise are not only “culprits”, but also “victims”: if they are not trained in academic writing or if it is at a low level, how can they succeed in doing written assignments on their own? As one of the interviewees aptly said, “It is necessary to distinguish between cynicism and the lack of knowledge. We must introduce the courses for lecturers on how to analyse a [student’s] text and detect plagiarism, and for students on how to write academic essays.”
Piotr Rudkouski and Vadim Mojeiko at the Ostrogorski Centre’s conference on the reform of higher education.
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Provide financial incentives for combatting plagiarism.
The incentives can be both positive and negative. To quote one of the interviewees, “A system of selective post-checking [is needed]: premiums for lecturers should depend on whether they accepted plagiarised essays or not.”
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Use automatic anti-plagiarism checkers, preferably licensed versions.
However, one should remember that these checkers cannot substitute for the personal commitment of a lecturer. Software is not a panacea. To quote one of the interviewees, “Yes, we need anti-plagiarism checkers; up to half of all plagiarism can be detected in this way. But it can only serve as an element supplementary to human engagement.”
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Revise the workload of both lecturers and students.
For lecturers to be able to combat plagiarism, it is necessary to ensure enough time and appropriate conditions for doing so. When it comes to students, it is advisable to reduce the volume of classroom tutorials to allow more time for students to work on their own. To quote one of the interviewees, “Students are overloaded with classroom hours, they have no time to prepare written assignments.”
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Combat plagiarism at the earlier stages of the educational process.
If young people get accustomed to plagiarising in secondary schools, it is extremely hard to eradicate this habit later. “Plagiarism originates in [secondary] school. We should check essays and presentations [in schools] more strictly.”
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Change the system of recruitment to universities.
“The most important thing is that it is motivated students, and not just school leavers, who should be accepted in universities,” as one of the interviewees noticed.
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Avoid rash acting.
It is important to combat plagiarism, but it should be done gradually and prudently. To quote another of the interviewees, “It is necessary to think about the consequences of any harsh measures.” The antidote should not be more poisonous than the poison.
Analytical paper: The modernisation and development of Belarusian HEIs based on the entrepreneurial university framework
The Ostrogorski Centre presents a new analytical paper ‘The Modernisation and Development of Belarusian Higher Education Institutions Based on the Entrepreneurial University Framework’, written by Radzivon Marozau.
The paper primarily based on suggestions made during a conference on reform of Belarusian higher education held on 27 December 2018 in Minsk, organised by the Ostrogorski Centre.
Dedicated to the issues of higher education and its reforms in Belarus, the conference allowed academics, practitioners and administrators to discuss the existing problems and possible solutions. The main topics concerned new forms of practice-oriented business education at the masters level, modernization of higher education at entrepreneurial university framework, reforms of Belarusian scientific research, and the issue of plagiarism at Belarusian universities.
The analytical paper suggests that the Belarusian government should address the challenges of a largely unsupportive institutional environment before expecting entrepreneurial outcomes from HEIs. Moving towards entrepreneurial HEIs requires changes in employment structures, including matters of promotion and remuneration, at Belarusian HEIs.
A meeting with entrepreneurs at the School of Business
and Management of Technology, part of the Belarusian State University.
Source: sbmt.by
In most developed countries that have reached the innovation-driven stage of educational reforms, higher education institutions (HEIs) accept a new mandate to become key drivers for knowledge-based, socioeconomic development, thereby transforming themselves into entrepreneurial HEIs.
The Ministry of Education of Belarus initiated an experimental project on the implementation of a «University 3.0” model, trying to replicate the success of Western HEIs in its development of the entrepreneurial mission.
However, the implementation of this experimental project had to be transparent to the whole HEI community and be conducted in close collaboration among stakeholders. Apart from that, target indicators for HEIs set by the state should be reconsidered and reconciled with the experimental project’s goals.
Recommendations
The research paper proposes several initiatives to be implemented to develop an entrepreneurship-friendly environment at the state and HEI levels. However, it should be acknowledged that success stories of HEI transformation in transition economies are rare and were managed by an HEI itself rather than a government.
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Raise awareness and transparency
Policy initiatives need to be clear in their objectives, tools, benefits and outcomes as well as be evidence-based and open to discussion. The lack of transparency leads to misunderstanding, ignorance, resistance and speculation. Thus, due to wrong assumptions and absence of clear indicators, some Belarusian HEI authorities claim that they have already implemented the “University 4.0” model and are ready for “University 5.0”.
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Establish collaboration among stakeholders
Comprehensive initiatives in this sphere should be developed and implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry of Economy that is responsible for entrepreneurship, business environment, entrepreneurial infrastructure as well as the State Committee for Science and Technology. For example, the Ministry of Economy may promote preferential terms for HEI-based enterprises. This may stimulate business creation by students and faculty as well as to bring established businesses to an HEI for spin-off development.
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Enable entrepreneurship-oriented educational trajectories
The Ministry of Education should promote entrepreneurship-oriented educational trajectories that enable students and faculty from different departments to work together on real-life projects. Study plans of different specialities should stipulate joint, well-structured and formalised academic courses related to entrepreneurship and innovation whereby mixed teams of future engineers, physicists, biologists, web-designers, managers, PR specialists could develop business project proposals or even prototypes.
Radzivon Marozau at the Ostrogorski Centre’s conference on the reform of higher education. Source: Ostrogorski Centre
Reconsider target indicators for HEIs
The state should reconsider the key target indicators for HEIs such as the growth of labour productivity and export of service, the percentage of graduates who get obligatory first job placement, and similar current indicators.
Instead, within the experimental project, it is worth monitoring such indicators as the number of start-ups/spin-offs founded by graduates/faculty members; the number of patents, licences, trademarks co-owned by an HEI, income from intellectual property; the number of R&D projects funded by enterprises, or number of joint international R&D projects and educational programs.
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Develop entrepreneurship centres
The state should stimulate the development of entrepreneurship centres as organisational units at HEIs – “one-stop shops” or “single front doors” for students, faculty, and businesses. The entrepreneurship centres could integrate and coordinate the entrepreneurship-related activities within an HEI in order to increase their impact and the visibility of these activities.
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Introduce the entrepreneurial agenda into HEIs’ strategic and business plans
The Ministry of Education should initiate the inclusion of “University 3.0”-agenda in business and strategic plans of HEIs with concomitant funding allocation and indicators. An HEI’s strategic plan should empower entrepreneurial actions, synergies and cooperation among individuals, organisational units as well as HEI business relations.
- Read full paper: The Modernization and Development of Belarusian HEIs based on the entrepreneurial university framework
