Spring Break
The Daily OrangeProfessors introduce Turnitin.com
By Brian Hayden
Posted: 9/19/07, 12:17 AM EST Section: News
"The teachers need to engage with the students rather than having a machine do it," she said.
Howard said she believes more emphasis should be put on clarifying the citation process. She also says that when a professor submits a students' paper into a database, the site shouldn't be trusted in keeping the papers confidential.
"It takes a lot of faith to trust (Turnitin.com's) assurance," she said.
Still, Ruth Stein, interim director of the Office of Academic Integrity, said every paper submitted is confidential and cannot be printed out by anyone. She looks forward to its resourcefulness for professors and students.
"Some professors will not use it," Stein said. "Then they will get a suspicious paper. And that's when they will really want to use the site."
Professors can either submit the students' papers themselves to check for plagiarism or extend the resource to students to check their own work and prevent any plagiarism from occurring, Stein said.
Broadcast journalism professor Barbara Fought urged the university to adopt the site while she served as a member of the Vice Chancellor's Committee on Academic Integrity. She said the site allows her to spend less time checking for plagiarism and more time focusing on the actual substance of students' papers.
"Most students want to get their sourcing accurately. This is a helpful tool to make sure they source things appropriately," she said. "I don't look at it as Big Brother. I look at it as a big sister that can help you."
Howard said she believes more emphasis should be put on clarifying the citation process. She also says that when a professor submits a students' paper into a database, the site shouldn't be trusted in keeping the papers confidential.
"It takes a lot of faith to trust (Turnitin.com's) assurance," she said.
Still, Ruth Stein, interim director of the Office of Academic Integrity, said every paper submitted is confidential and cannot be printed out by anyone. She looks forward to its resourcefulness for professors and students.
"Some professors will not use it," Stein said. "Then they will get a suspicious paper. And that's when they will really want to use the site."
Professors can either submit the students' papers themselves to check for plagiarism or extend the resource to students to check their own work and prevent any plagiarism from occurring, Stein said.
Broadcast journalism professor Barbara Fought urged the university to adopt the site while she served as a member of the Vice Chancellor's Committee on Academic Integrity. She said the site allows her to spend less time checking for plagiarism and more time focusing on the actual substance of students' papers.
"Most students want to get their sourcing accurately. This is a helpful tool to make sure they source things appropriately," she said. "I don't look at it as Big Brother. I look at it as a big sister that can help you."
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