Add a Turnitin Assignment
Contents
Turnitin integration with Isaak-Sakai.
Note. As noted within the Brock University Faculty Handbook, section 10.4, "students must be informed in writing a the beginning of the course" if phrase matching software such as Turnitin is to be used.
Brock instructors have the option of using Turnitin's 'originality' checking feature via an integration with Isaak-Sakai's Assignments tool. This is advantageous in that it allows originality checking to occur within Isaak-Sakai course sites and does not require instructors or students to navigate to Turnitin.com to create accounts or access services. Turnitin can also be used as a pedagogical tool to help students understand the importance and protocols for citing sources and referencing materials properly.
A brief list of the distinctions between the use of Turnitin.com directly vs. integration with Turnitin within Sakai follows:
Isaak-Sakai’s Assignments tool (integration with Turnitin.com).
- Students submit assignments for originality checking via your Sakai course site rather than the external Turnitin.com site. No new accounts will be needed.
- Students must be directed to submit assignments via the Assignments tool that is accessible from the left toolbar on your Sakai course site (after it has been enabled by the instructor).
- 'In-tool' grading is available within Assignments, allowing scores to be stored within your Sakai site for your reference and (if preferred) student review. It’s also possible to configure Assignments to automatically send scores to the Gradebook tool.
- There is no option to disable student access to originality reports; ensuring that students understand the content and can learn from the report that is generated.
Using Turnitin.com directly.
- Students must create accounts with Turnitin.com to submit course work for originality checking.
- Once you add your course information to Turnitin.com, you must communicate that info to students so that they are able to join and submit.
- If you intend to digitally grade assignments, any grading info that is added to Turnitin.com must be manually transferred to Sakai (provided you intend to store grades within Sakai).
- Expanded functionality, including the ability to use the grading (aka Feedback) studio and other feature inclusions and exclusions.
Enabling originality checking.
Create a new assignment with Turnitin
Visit the Assignments tool.
Select the Assignments tool from the Tools Menu in your site.
Click the Add option.
Click the Add button to add a new assignment
Configure your assignment details and timings as appropriate.
See page Add an Assignment
Enable the Use Turnitin option.
- Choosing Standard Paper Repository or None: Choosing Standard Paper Repository means that Turnitin retains a copy of the paper indefinitely and it becomes part of the originality checks for all other Turnitin users across the platform (not Brock specific). This can have implications for Intellectual Property (in the case of grad students should be used with caution); challenges if Resubmissions are enabled in an Assignment; and challenges with high similarity reports if the submissions all engage with the same topic. If Turnitin is being used pedagogically to teach students about proper citation formats and the importance of originality, Resubmission is enabled or students are all writing on one topic, the setting "None" should be selected. However, Standard Paper Repository will ensure that all papers submitted will be compared to other submissions within the same class.
- Turnitin reports are based on attachments (see list of acceptable attachments below) and textbox submission types.
Post your assignment
Once you have entered all of your assignment settings, scroll down to the bottom and click Post to save your changes and post the assignment.
Add Turnitin to an existing assignment.
Visit the Assignments tool.
Select the Assignments tool from the Tools Menu in your site.
Select the Edit link for the assignment you wish to add Turnitin
Enable the Use Turnitin option.
- Choosing Standard Paper Repository or None: Choosing Standard Paper Repository means that Turnitin retains a copy of the paper indefinitely and it becomes part of the originality checks for all other Turnitin users across the platform (not Brock specific). This can have implications for Intellectual Property (in the case of grad students should be used with caution); challenges if Resubmissions are enabled in an Assignment; and challenges with high similarity reports if the submissions all engage with the same topic. If Turnitin is being used pedagogically to teach students about proper citation formats and the importance of originality, Resubmission is enabled or students are all writing on one topic, the setting "None" should be selected. However, Standard Paper Repository will ensure that all papers submitted will be compared to other submissions within the same class.
- Turnitin reports are based on attachments (see list of acceptable attachments below) and textbox submission types.
Post your assignment
Once you have entered all of your assignment settings, scroll down to the bottom and click Post to save your changes and post the assignment.
Accessing and viewing originality reports.
Shortly after students have submitted to a Turnitin-enabled assignment, originality reports will become available to both the instructor and student. Note that some time may be needed for processing of student work. Originality reports can be accessed via the following steps.
Visit the Assignments tool.
Select the Assignments tool from the Tools Menu in your site.
More questions about the Assignments tool?
This page is adapted from an equivalent Sakai Community help article.
The original Sakai Community help article, unedited, is available at https://sakai.screenstepslive.com/s/sakai_help
