MSVU - Cdn University bans 'turnitin'

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by BlueMason, Mar 8, 2006.

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  1. BlueMason

    BlueMason Audaces fortuna juvat

  2. sentinel

    sentinel New Member

    Interesting reading indeed. Since I might be relocating to the area soon it is good to keep up with such decisions in academia.
     
  3. Brad Sweet

    Brad Sweet New Member

    I am surprised that this has happened and would find it doubtful that the other five universities in Halifax will follow suit, and for how long the students will have won.

    Brad
     
  4. recruiting

    recruiting Member

    Turnitin is a scam. They use papers from thousands of student to make money.

    They take, scan and store YOUR works on their servers. Then they sell the "use" of YOUR paper over and over to make milliions!!

    I want checks!!! Royalties man, Royalties!!

    Imagine getting caught plagiarizing your essay, with an essay you yourself wrote years before at another school, lol

    Nice.....:rolleyes:
     
  5. roy maybery

    roy maybery New Member

    Essays

    Yes whilst I am in favour of capital punishment for plagerizing! I certainly object to my essays being published without my consent (isn't this plagiarism?)
    Roy Maybery
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 9, 2006
  6. Andy Borchers

    Andy Borchers New Member

    Re: Essays

    Turnitin really doesn't do this. All they'll do is tell a professor at university X that part of the paper he is reading was submitted to university y on a certain date. That's it.

    Regards - Andy

     
  7. roy maybery

    roy maybery New Member

    Re: Re: Essays

    That sounds a little better. Perhaps we can go after them plagiarists after all!

    Roy Maybery
     
  8. JoAnnP38

    JoAnnP38 Member

    Re: Re: Essays

    Andy, how would they be able to do this without using the students work? I don't know anything about this, but do students own their work? Should they at least have to sign some sort of release to have their papers used? Should they be compensated?! Isn't this truly a case of giving the gander its due?
     
  9. Andy Borchers

    Andy Borchers New Member

    Re: Re: Re: Essays

    JoAnn - the only words that are identified are those that are common to the two documents. So are they showing the first student's words? Or the second student's words? Actually, the words are shared between the two - that's the point.

    My key point - Turnitin doesn't reveal a prior student's intellectual work. They simply show when a current student has written the exact same words as someone (unidentified except for date and school name) else has written.

    As for release - where I teach I include words in my syllabus notifying students that I use electronic tools that involve submission of their work to check the authenticity of their work.

    Regards - Andy

     
  10. JoAnnP38

    JoAnnP38 Member

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Essays

    The problem is that the student's work is being used by the Turnitin algorithm that detects these words. Unless students wave rights to their intellectual property by virtue of being a student then at the very least, what Turnitin is doing is unethical. Professors are all the time getting upset about their work being hijacked for unintended purposes. I think the students who have championed this have some valid points. If a student has any control whatsoever about the use of their intellectual property, at the very least, universities and professors should be held accountable and damages awarded. It probably high time that students be asked to sign release forms or other forms of waivers for the use of their works. This whole issue has nothing to do with revealing the words of the student's work, it has to do with that work being used as part of the central algorithm that is being used to make a lot of money. Money which is not being shared with the students.
     
  11. recruiting

    recruiting Member

    I wrote the dean of Charter Oak about using Turnitin on my History papers. I also requested that they not use "THAT" program on my work.

    I did tell they they could use any other means of checking my work, as long as it was not stored in any servers to be reused again.

    He wrote back that he contacted my instructor and it was not an issue. He also said he was looking into the legality of this program... I wish I could find that darn email he sent me to post!!

    He wrote back VERY quickly as well. Which I thought was very kewl!

    COSC has the best customer service I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with!
     

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