Spoken Notes – A New Turnitin.com Feature

Yesterday I wrote about the challenges teachers and administration face due to issue of cheating and getting around Turnitin.com‘s algorithms.

Something released a month ago appeared on my radar today: spoken notes that can be attached by a teacher. My reaction was “Niiice!”

Check out the short demonstration video below:

Questions for you

Are you using turnitin.com for your papers?

Is turnitin.com the equivalent of using a chainsaw to cut a piece of paper for your needs? If so, what do you use to provide feedback/suggestions?

Cheating Turnitin.com

Thanks fo the recent article from eCampus News titled “The top 10 ways college students plagiarize” I am now in the loop on cheating.

Cheating happens but with the advent of so many new types of software and sources of information determining if something is original or a copy isn’t the easiest of things to do. Turnitin.com aims to resolve that issue for schools.

Students on the other hand have people from all around the world trying to make Turnitin.com into nothing but a blip in the radar.

Following instructions in text can sometimes be confusing so countless videos have been posted to sites like YouTube and metacafe instructing anyone how to get around Turnitin.com’s algorithms. Of course it is all presented as information only. I should say the posters who think ahead include that brief note. 😉

One video I watched had over 11k views. Does the method still work? It’s possible though Turnitin.com will continue to improve their software and those trying to get around the algorithm will find other ways to win.

This was something new for me because of the unique projects that Sarah Lawrence has taking place in the classroom. Very few projects are copyable which means students have to do research for their papers.

Questions for you

Have you seen anyone get or try to get around Turnitin.com or other software like it?

What software is used at your school?