The Avoiding Plagiarism course has been completed by thousands of students and is required by several JHU schools and classrooms. We have gathered frequently asked questions about enrollment, troubleshooting, and what to do if you find that a student has plagiarized. Click on the questions to jump to the answer.

1. I want my student to take the Avoiding Plagiarism Module and receive proof that they have done it.
2. I want to ensure that all students in my class take the plagiarism module. How do I set that up?
3. I want my student to retake the plagiarism module. How can they do it?
4. My student could not pass the plagiarism course, or they found it too difficult.
5. My student says they may have taken the course but don’t have a certificate. Where can they find it?
6. My student is having technical difficulties taking the course -- who should they contact?
7. I caught or suspect a student in my class of plagiarizing. What should I do? How can I tell if they took the plagiarism module?
8. Did my students take the course? Does completing the course mean that they will not plagiarize?

1. I want my student to take the Avoiding Plagiarism Module and receive proof that they have done it.

Share the Instructions for accessing the Avoiding Plagiarism course (JHED ID required) for students to complete the course. After they pass and complete it, they can send their certificate to you by printing it, emailing it, or submitting it as an assignment in your online course, to an online course, if you have set up an assignment for it.

2. I want to ensure that all students in my class take the plagiarism module. How do I set that up?

The easiest way to have your class take the module is to provide the instructions for accessing the course and a due date for completion.

• Professors in courses that meet in person without an online component usually ask their students to print their certificate and turn it in like any other assignment.
• Professors whose courses are partially or fully online usually set up an assignment where students can upload their certificates. This makes it easier to track in the course’s gradebook.

Many JHU schools and departments require that students complete the plagiarism module. If a student states that they have already completed the module, we recommend asking them to turn in their certificate.

3. I want my student to retake the plagiarism module. How can they do it?

If students have already taken the module, their certificate doesn’t expire. However, if you think it would be beneficial for them to have a refresher of the plagiarism basics, we can reset their enrollment in the course. They can request that their enrollment is reset through the Avoiding Plagiarism Technical Help Form. We will reset their enrollment so they can retake the course.

4. My student could not pass the plagiarism course, or they found it too difficult.

The vast majority of students pass the course in a little over an hour. The modules teach foundational plagiarism avoidance skills that are quizzed on in the post-test.

• In cases where you find students unable to pass due to technical difficulties, we recommend having them reach out to us via the Avoiding Plagiarism Technical Help Form to resolve any challenges.
• If technical challenges have been ruled out, we might recommend that the student seek additional writing support or tutoring to help them reach JHU expectations. Direct them to our student support page to help them learn more about what their school offers.  

5. My student says they may have taken the course but don’t have a certificate. Where can they find it?

All students who have completed the course have received a certificate. Certificates for the course are available through MyLearning.

1. Instruct the student to log on to my.jh.edu.
2. Click Learning on the menu > select MyLearning.
3. Then navigate to “My History” to download the certificate.
4. If no certificate is present, we recommend they take the course.

6. My student is having technical difficulties taking the course -- who should they contact?

If your students run into any technical difficulties, please instruct them to review the directions and the course home page. If that doesn’t answer the question, ask them to fill out our Avoiding Plagiarism Technical Help Form, which goes directly to our support team.

7. I caught or suspect a student in my class of plagiarizing. What can should I do?

If you suspect a student of plagiarizing, the first step is to read up on your school’s policy on documenting and handling plagiarism. Each school has specific policies that have been updated in recent years.

• For undergraduate students, please see the policy on the Student Affairs page
• For graduate students, please navigate to the Academic Integrity Policies page and select your school to see the policy

8. Did my students take the course? Does completing the course mean that they will not plagiarize?

If you would like to check if your student completed the course, you can always request the certificate from them or you can reach out via our technical help form to reach us. Our course educates about plagiarism to empower students to avoid it. Research shows that plagiarism is more likely under stress, time pressure, and other factors (Carroll & Appleton, J., 2001). Learn what you can do to help reduce plagiarism in your classroom.

References

Carroll, J. & Appleton, J. (2001). Plagiarism: A Good Practice Guide. Retrieved 10 July 2019, https://i.unisa.edu.au/siteassets/staff/tiu/documents/plagiarism---a-good-practice-guide-by-oxford-brookes-university.pdf.