Anti-plagiarism platform prepares for onsite classes – BusinessWorld Online

Turnitin, an Internet-based plagiarism detection service, is preparing its education platform for the resumption of face-to-face classes. 

“Universities in the Philippines are coming back to class and what we’re seeing is a big focus on assessment design — making sure the assessment is rigorous enough to handle both a hybrid model and an on-site model,” said Jack Brazel, Turnitin’s regional director for Southeast Asia, in an interview with BusinessWorld. 

Academic integrity training, which the company recommends to schools using its technologies, includes skills like citing, quoting sources, data interpretation, and the promotion of original thinking to help students thrive outside the classroom. 

GROWING ANTI-PLAGIARISM MARKET
With cheating caused by the rise of digital educational content and widespread adoption of smartphones, tablets, computers, and laptops for learning, the education sector has seen tremendous growth in the anti-plagiarism market, according to a recent report. 

Data from the Global Anti-Plagiarism for the Education Sector Market Report and Forecast 2022–2027 showed that the global anti-plagiarism market had a value of over $1,085.9 million in 2021. It is expected to reach a value of $2,162.3 million by 2027. 

Turnitin’s main products scan for plagiarized content and process grades for academic work, services which have been offered in the Philippines in the past seven years.  

“Philippine universities are really modernizing everything they do, their infrastructure, their curricula. They have come a long way because they’ve done so much work in improving quality assurance and their systems,” Mr. Brazel said. 

Since the start of the pandemic, Turnitin has been equipping private and public Philippine universities with resources that will help maximize the use of its products. 

“When a teacher and student run the report and see a 25% match with a source, for example, how do they have a learning moment to quote and cite sources better? So, the instructor needs to make sure they pass on education and experience on how to write a better paper overall,” he said. 

Earlier this year, Turnitin launched the Gradescope app, where students scan or take photos of assignments and teachers then use artificial intelligence to group or mark them quicker and more effectively, cutting grading time by half. 

In the Philippines, it has been widely used in science and technology courses from engineering to coding, as well as maritime universities where assignments can include handwritten diagrams and map plotting, according to Mr. Brazel. 

He added that more schools in the country are expected to join the platform. — Brontë H. Lacsamana