Turn-it-in UCD Software

johnfás

Increasingly UCD Departments are using sofware called "Turn it in" via blackboard for people to submit an electronic copy of their work. This software then scans through the internet in an attempt to work out if there is any plagiarism. On Wikipedia there is the following criticisms

While most people agree that combatting plagiarism is important, Turnitin critics argue that:

1. Turnitin violates student privacy and intellectual property rights, especially when archiving student papers without students' knowledge or permission;
2. Turnitin profits from students' work without paying royalties;
3. Turnitin creates an adversarial relationship between teachers and students because it fosters an atmosphere of distrust and renders students "guilty-until-proven-innocent";
4. Turnitin distributes copies of students' papers to third parties, which destroys the future marketability of students' intellectual property.

What are peoples thoughts?

Umaro

*shrug*

If you haven't stolen material then you have nothing to worry about it, as for the rest about intellectual property.... oh, please.

damnyanks

Universities usually own all IP rights when you submit work in any case.

Red Alert

Not quite actually - it depends on the course. They don't necessairly have the right to redistribute or stop you doing so unless you have explicitly signed over that right to them.

I agree that turnitin has an adversarial atmosphere about it. In theory it's no difference to using the 'diff' utility to spot computer code submitted being the same thing, which is perfectly fine. It's what I'd do if I was marking computer programs or the like.

The problem I see with turnitin is that student's own work is being used to further the financial gain of the company owning it. The nuts and bolts of turnitin are very like a spam filter - it uses bayesian inference to spot things that are probably plagiarism. (Much like if it talks like a duck and walks like a duck it probably is one - bayesian inference gives you the maths to express it in precise terms.)

This big plagiarism detector needs loads of essays, both plagiarised and non-plagiarised to make it work - the students work is being used for that and I would disagree with that. I wouldn't have a problem if somebody bought/wrote one that ran locally and used it against the other essays in the class or against freely available ones from the internet.

besty

It is adversarial but, to be honest, with some of the tales you hear about plagiarism today - you can hardly be surprised that a tool such as this is now in widespread use.

cast_iron

johnf&#225 wrote: »

....Turnitin critics argue that:

Who are these "critics"? Their arguments seem shallow at best.

Red Alert

my only real hangup is that the students (more importantly who aren't plagiarising as well as those who are), are having their work used by a private company (turn it in) for the benefit of their customers as well as UCD.

i have no problem with using software which is run in ucd (preferably on the lecturers own PC) and whose sample space extends only to UCD and the internet at large.

emeraldstar

I had to use this once for a module. It told me my essay was 2% plagiarised, then highlighted the offending passage: my name

Stoopid compooter program