Turnitin, a text-matching tool that can be used to encourage and maintain academic integrity, is now fully integrated with the onQ learning management system and is available for any course at Queen’s University.

During the 2017 Winter Term, the university conducted a test run of the tool in approximately 10 undergraduate, graduate, and online courses. This pilot provided a useful test of the supporting technology and information on how to integrate the tool into academic courses, says pilot participant Richard Ascough, Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), Faculty of Arts and Science.

“Turnitin is a powerful tool for student engagement with the skills of scholarly writing,” he says. “I used it to help my students refine and nuance how they integrated secondary sources as conversation partners into their research essay writing.”

Turnitin is currently used by numerous post-secondary institutions across North America, with more than 25 million users – instructors and students – globally. While it is primarily seen as a tool to help detect plagiarism in course assignments, Turnitin can also be used to support the development of scholarly writing skills. Once a paper is submitted to Turnitin, the program provides a report on how closely it compares to previously written material through an analysis of word patterns. The writer can then address the issues before making a final submission.

Turnitin is now available for any instructor who wishes to use it, but Dr. Ascough says that it is important for instructors to start planning early before introducing the tool to a course.

“Like any new pedagogical tool, integrating Turnitin into my course took some up-front time investment, both in learning the technology and in thinking carefully through designing for its use pedagogically,” he says. “It did, however, pay off in terms of student learning. I would definitely build on my initial forays by integrating further in subsequent course offerings.”

Support for instructors is being provided by the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL). For detailed instructions on integrating Turnitin into a course, visit the Turnitin page on the CTL website. Instructors looking for assistance with the integration can contact the IT Support Centre at 613-533-6666. Support sessions for setting up Turnitin in onQ and making best use of the tool are available every Thursday from 2-3 pm in the CTL. For more information or to book a session, contact Selina Idlas, onQ Educational Technology Analyst.