Tech Tools by David Parker
Turnitin.com: More Than Just a Plagiarism Detector
What is Turnitin.com?
As the use of the Internet for research has increased over the past decade, many schools and universities have subscribed to Turnitin.com as a way to detect student plagiarism. The debate over the ethics of using the service as evidence against students accused of plagiarism remains without consensus. However, it is generally agreed that Turnitin.com’s formative instructional toolsare useful in academic writing classes, providing effective writing feedback for ESL students.
These instructional tools provide two clear benefits to a writing class: an efficient file management system for the writing process and tools for providing formative feedback on students’ writing. Students can easily enroll in a teacher’s class, access important assignment information, and submit digital copies of writing assignments using the file management system. Teachers can assign multiple drafts of the same assignment and provide feedback on each draft separately, as well as assign peer editing and self-reflection assignments.
Turnitin.com’s instructional tools enable teachers to give effective feedback on student writing. Teachers can create customizable set of comments, called QuickMarks, and add them directly to the students’ digital copy or record audio comments. The ETS e-rater® detects proofreading errors in grammar, mechanics, and style. Students can access an ESL handbook for tips on how to correct the errors found in their writing.
The Originality Report, the controversial plagiarism detection tool, can also be used to give students feedback on their ability to effectively paraphrase or summarize sources. The Originality Report provides a side-by-side comparison of a student submission and an outside source that highlights similar phrases in vocabulary and syntax. Each student submission is assigned a Similarity Index, a numerical score equal to the percentage of similarity between the submission and outside sources.
How do I use Turnitin.com in the classroom?
Turnitin.com plays a major role in my intermediate and advanced-level writing courses. Each course includes at least one writing assignment with multiple drafts managed completely on the site. First-time users generally require short in-class tutorials on how to navigate the site.
I also use the site to make a paperless writing process. The site stores all information about the assignments and student submissions, so disputes about missing papers, missed deadlines, and miscommunication are quickly resolved. Responsibility falls on the students to submit their writing to the site. Students learn how to navigate an online learning environment, an increasingly critical skill for students at all levels of education, regardless of language proficiency.
When I first used Turnitin.com, I used only the Originality Report and QuickMarks to provide feedback on my students’ writing. As I became more comfortable with the site, I was able to integrate more of the tools into each writing assignment. The extensive training section of the site provides step-by-step tutorials for setting up an account for new users (provided the school subscribes to the service) and for using the tools described above.
The instructional tools on Turnitin.com have been a timesaver both in and out of class. I’ve saved time using Turnitin.com for commenting and creating rubrics compared to manually marking and grading student writing. Since I can release feedback to students on the website outside of class hours, students can come to the next class prepared with questions. In addition, I create grammar mini-lessons based on the most frequently used comments.
Turnitin.com has value way beyond its use as a plagiarism detector. Used in the ESL writing classroom, it can be a tool to help students and instructors manage the writing process in a productive and time-saving way.
David Parker is the Senior Language Educator at The Language Connection, St. John’s University, Queens campus. He has been working in intensive English programs for five years. He previously served as e-learning coordinator at the Center for English Language and Literature for International Students (CELCIS) at Western Michigan University.
To contact David about this article, please send an email to dialogue@nystesol.org
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