What is Plagiarism? A Simple PPT for ESL Students

I’ve been working in China for a long, long time now and one problem that keeps rearing its ugly head is the issue of plagiarism. In every class I have between one and three students who will try to cheat on an assignment by copying from the internet. This year that number jumped up to fifteen students in one class! In response, I decided to make a short and simple PPT to give my class. I think it states in very basic terms why cheating is wrong.

In some countries cheating is a normal part of life. In China, for example, you can walk around the high street and so many  things are stolen from elsewhere that one begins to feel that copying is normal. Chinese companies have for years made profits by simply copying from companies in other countries. It’s a way of life. In addition, Chinese teachers don’t actively dissuade students who cheat. It’s just considered the normal thing.

Therefore, it is important to teach your students about plagiarism and to deal with it firmly but fairly. I hope this PPT can help.