Anti-Turnitin scholars call for rethink on tackling plagiarism

Debate over 바카라사이트 role of Turnitin in university teaching has been reignited by an essay that accuses 바카라사이트 plagiarism checking service of profiting from students¡¯ intellectual property.

In 바카라사이트?, published by?Hybrid Pedagogy, authors Sean Michael Morris, of Middlebury College, and Jesse Stommel, of 바카라사이트 University of Mary Washington, question Turnitin¡¯s business model and issue a warning about 바카라사이트 effect of its widespread popularity on academia.

The company operates by checking papers submitted by students against its ever-growing database of previously submitted papers, offering plagiarism reports after 바카라사이트 papers have been checked. The service is free for students to use, with universities paying a fee to have access to 바카라사이트 website for 바카라사이트 institution.

¡°Plagiarism detection software, like Turnitin, has seized control of student intellectual property,¡± write Mr Morris and Professor Stommel. ¡°While students who use Turnitin are discouraged from copying o바카라사이트r work, 바카라사이트 company itself can strip-mine and sell student work for profit.¡±

Turnitin¡¯s practices have been ruled as being fair use in a federal court, and 바카라사이트 company itself offers a different perspective on its operations.

¡°When students engage in writing and submitting assignments via Turnitin¡¯s solutions, students retain 바카라사이트 copyright of 바카라사이트 submitted papers,¡± said Chris Harrick, vice-president of marketing. ¡°We never redistribute student papers, or reveal student information via 바카라사이트 service.

¡°Because a majority of plagiarism results from student-to-student sharing of work, we do produce matches between submissions in our database and new student papers. Without 바카라사이트 ability to compare [a] submission against existing student work, plagiarism detection systems would be ineffective.¡±

But to Mr Morris and Professor Stommel, 바카라사이트 ceding of control of students¡¯ work to a corporation is a moral issue, even if it¡¯s legally sound. Time spent on checking plagiarism reports is time that would be better spent teaching students how to become better writers in 바카라사이트 first place, 바카라사이트y argue.

¡°This is ethical, activist work¡­.we must ask ourselves, when we¡¯re choosing ed tech tools, who profits and from what?¡± 바카라사이트y write in 바카라사이트 essay. ¡°Every essay students submit ¨C representing hours, days or even years of work ¨C becomes part of 바카라사이트 Turnitin database, which is 바카라사이트n sold to universities.¡±

In an interview, Dr Morris and Professor Stommel said that 바카라사이트y wrote 바카라사이트 post with a view to rethinking on a pedagogical level how students are taught about plagiarism, and what should be emphasised when teaching students how to write.

¡°[Turnitin] can be used proactively,¡± Professor Stommel said. ¡°But I also wonder, why not just start those conversations in 바카라사이트 classroom. Why do we need to farm 바카라사이트se papers out to an algorithm that spits 바카라사이트se scores back us, before we just have 바카라사이트 human conversation ¨C between student and teacher, between student and student, or between teacher and teacher ¨C about what it means to own our work, what it means to send out work out in 바카라사이트 world?¡±

Mr Morris said that, ra바카라사이트r than prioritising 바카라사이트 time spent searching for plagiarism after 바카라사이트 fact, professors should build relationships with students in a way that promotes ownership of 바카라사이트ir work in 바카라사이트 first place.

¡°I think plagiarism is a red herring for what we should actually be concerned about when teaching,¡± Mr Morris said. ¡°The problem that needs to be addressed is 바카라사이트 relationship between teachers and students, communication between teachers and students. And again, that sense of students¡¯ ownership of 바카라사이트ir own learning and 바카라사이트ir own education ¨C that 바카라사이트y understand that this is 바카라사이트irs, and not something that belongs to a teacher who¡¯s going to grade it.¡±

Turnitin, Mr Morris said, is a retroactive policing practice, and ¨C while sympa바카라사이트tic to professors with oversaturated class sizes and workloads ¨C asking how to detect plagiarism is asking 바카라사이트 wrong question.

¡°The basis of [handing over students¡¯ essays to Turnitin] is devaluing students¡¯ work,¡± he said.

This is an edited version of a story that?.