Is what David did wrong? Why or why not? Do you think David is right in thinking that this assignment really doesn't matter and can't really hurt his grade because it is only for extra credit?
Response 1: This is an example of sloppy work that qualifies as plagiarism and could have serious consequences for David, including the possibility of a lower grade. It doesn't matter that the assignment is only for extra credit, if David is going to take time to do the assignment, he needs to do his best work.
Response 2: As an instructor, I believe I would make him resubmit the assignment before giving extra credit. First, if the assignment is to reflect on the readings, proper citation is needed in order for a reader to separate the content of the original article from the author's reaction to it. Second, it is good practice to track citations during the research and paper writing process; famous historians have had their careers ruined with plagiarism scandals because "they forgot to put in quotes." I believe, a student can genuinely forget to put in the quotes in a paper. I know of one case where a student did not use proper citations, but had the correct entry in the bibliography. It is not necessarily concious plagiarism, but it is bad paper writing form and should be addressed.
Response 3: My take on this is that David is wrong because he has had the opportunity to learn to do things the right way during his college career, and when he chooses not to use the skills he has built he is taking a step backwards (not to mention that what he is doing by using quotes without citing properly is illegal). Going to college is not supposed to be about the grades as much as it is about the education itself. Having a good education only counts if you use it, and the more you use it the greater the rewards. If you just do the work to get by, then when you get out in the workforce and have greater responsibilities life will be much harder for you because you have not learned the proper skills and spend more time getting out of using them than actually accomplishing good work that will bring you rewards and greater responsibility.
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