This has gone off the rails in my lifetime. Forty years ago it was common for me, as an undergrad, to be asked to write papers where we would include a conclusion or original thought in the paper, based on an analysis of our research. When I watch my son write a paper today, it seems as if the last thing instructors want from an undergraduate is thoughtful reflection or an original idea. They just want a recitation of other (more qualified) people's work, all carefully bookmarked, of course. The effect of this has been to kill creative thinking, which is a shame. I've got news for all of you--a thoughtful student can create original thoughts based on their analysis of material gleaned from multiple sources, and if they do, it's not plagiarism.
I encouraged all of my students to write papers using their original thoughts based on a research question they provided. They were to make their arguments based on the use of primary and secondary sources which were then properly cited to avoid plagiarism. They could argue against the secondary sources because heck, I have problems with some secondary sources myself. But I let their creativity loose and each of them were successful at it. Critical thinking and creative writing aren't dead.
This has gone off the rails in my lifetime. Forty years ago it was common for me, as an undergrad, to be asked to write papers where we would include a conclusion or original thought in the paper, based on an analysis of our research. When I watch my son write a paper today, it seems as if the last thing instructors want from an undergraduate is thoughtful reflection or an original idea. They just want a recitation of other (more qualified) people's work, all carefully bookmarked, of course. The effect of this has been to kill creative thinking, which is a shame. I've got news for all of you--a thoughtful student can create original thoughts based on their analysis of material gleaned from multiple sources, and if they do, it's not plagiarism.
I encouraged all of my students to write papers using their original thoughts based on a research question they provided. They were to make their arguments based on the use of primary and secondary sources which were then properly cited to avoid plagiarism. They could argue against the secondary sources because heck, I have problems with some secondary sources myself. But I let their creativity loose and each of them were successful at it. Critical thinking and creative writing aren't dead.