On October 21, the Office of Teaching Advancement (OTA) held a workshop in Robarts Library to train U of T instructors in the use of the controversial plagiarism-detection service Turnitin.com. Pam Gravestock, Assistant Director of the OTA, led the session.
Most of the session was a basic instruction in using Turnitin.com, but Gravestock also addressed the legal and ethical concerns that have dogged the California-based company. That controversy continues, apparently: Gravestock turned a Varsity photographer away from the workshop citing privacy concerns on behalf of the faculty participants. Nine instructors attended the workshop in all, from departments including history, political science and the sciences.
The University first introduced Turnitin.com in autumn 2002 for use in wide variety of departments. At the same time, controversy over the use of the service peaked in 2002 when Jesse Rosenfeld, a student at McGill University, refused to submit an electronic version of his work to Turnitin.com, saying that it assumed students’ guilt and infringed on students’ copyrights on their own work. After extensive-and nationally publicized-negotiation with the university, Rosenfeld’s instructor agreed to mark the paper version of the essay that Rosenfeld handed in. The controversy received widespread coverage in campus newspapers across Canada and in several major dailies.
During last Thursday’s workshop, the instructors asked several questions regarding the service. One participant asked if the service was capable of accepting non-English language content.
“No, it does not,” said Gravestock. “The service does have obvious limits in that regard.” Others asked to know more about Rosenfeld’s objections. One attendee asked if graduate work, often much lengthier than undergraduate work, could be submitted to the system (it can). Another professor said that approximately half of the content flagged by the service she herself noticed anyway.
“Students are not required to use the service,” said Gravestock. “As an alternative, they may present outlines, notes, rough work to their instructors. Most students find it easier simply to use the service.” During the workshop, the participants received an instructional booklet entitled, “Turnitin: An Electronic Resource to Deter and Detect Plagiarism at the University of Toronto,” which outlines the alternatives that students can use. Further, U of T policy requires instructors to print a notice in their syllabi in order to use the service in their classes. Speaking on copyright issues, Gravestock said, “There is a statement on the turnitin.com website which explains the Canadian legal situation with respect to copyright and the service.”
Submitted papers are retained and archived in Turnitin.com’s database by means of a “digital fingerprint.” This fingerprint is then used to compare with other material submitted to the service. While students retain copyright to their work, critics have argued that the digital fingerprint generated from their work helps the company become more effective while students receive no compensation for aiding the company in its efforts.
The statement that Gravestock referred to was prepared by Toronto law firm Miller Thomson LLP, which specializes in patent and copyright law and advises Turnitin.com on Canadian law. The copyright portion of the statement says that arguments against the service based on copyright law is an overly broad use of those laws.
“[S]tudents at a degree-granting institution such as a university are in a form of contractual relationship,” the letter says. “…In order to obtain the desired degree students must submit for review their own work for grading.”
The University’s contract with iParadigms, the company that runs Turnitin.com, is negotiated based on the University’s total enrolment, and costs U of T just under 50 cents per student. At present, approximately 17,000 U of T student accounts-about a third as many accounts as U of T has paid for-have been created on Turnitin.com. Based on a survey of instructors conducted by the OTA, said Gravestock, only a handful of students have had any problem with using the service.
Have you used Turnitin.com? What was your experience? Email [email protected]
