Turnitin (Similarity) Integration

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The aXcelerate_x_turnitin.png integration allows you to use Turnitin's Similarity feature natively within aXcelerate's Learning Management System. Online Assessment Submissions can be sent through Turnitin to return a Similarity score and help determine the authenticity of the Learner's response.

 

Tip: Get started by contacting Turnitin and signing up for a Turnitin Similarity account.

 

Note: This integration works exclusively with aXcelerate Online Assessments only available for aXcelerate Turbo licences.

Connect your Turnitin Similarity Account

Once you have a Turnitin Similarity Account, the next step is to enable the integration in aXcelerate. This is done by going to the Web & Other Integrations tab of the system settings and entering your Turnitin URL and API key.

Settings

 

System Settings

 

Web & Other Integrations

  1. Go to the Web & Other Integrations tab of the System Settings
  2. Scroll to the Plagiarism Detection section
  3. Enter your Turnitin URL & API Key
  4. Click Test Connection
  5. If the connection is valid, click Set Up Account
 

Tip: Once you have connected your Turnitin Account, you will be able to switch on Plagiarism Checking for eligible Assessment Types and Questions.

 

Note: Your URL is what will appear in the web address bar, and the API key will need to be created within the Turnitin interface. Click 'Learn how to create an API Key' to access Turnitin's Help Documentation or Reach out to Turnitin directly for assistance with setting up your Turnitin API key and account information.

Enable Turnitin for Assessment Types

After enabling the integration, you can configure Plagiarism Detection for specific Assessment Types. You can do this by creating or updating an assessment Type and enabling Plagiarism Checking.

Assessments

 

Assessment Types

  1. Create a new Online Quiz, Marking Criteria, or RPL Evidence Assessment Types (or update an existing one)
  2. Click Enable Plagiarism Checking
  3. Click Submit
 

Tip: Once the Assessment Type has Plagiarism Checking enabled, Short Answer & File Upload questions in Assessments can have Plagiarism Checking Enabled individually.

 

Note: Plagiarism Checking setting is only available for Online Quiz, Marking Criteria, and RPL Evidence Assessment Types.

Customise Turnitin settings for a particular Item

You may override Assessment Type Turnitin settings at the Item level if you wish. By using these settings, you can choose to always, or never, enable the Turnitin Plagiarism check for a particular Item. These settings are only available for Items stored in the Assessment Library.

To configure the settings:

  1. Navigate to the Library
  2. Select an Item eligible for use with the Turnitin integration
  3. Select Customise the Turnitin plagiarism check for this Item
  4. Configure the plagiarism settings for this Item
 

Tip: Turnitin is supported on Item Types that require Assessors to Mark them. The list can be found in the Item Authoring article.

Submit Assessments Through Turnitin

When commencing an Assessment that has plagiarism detection enabled, Learners will be shown a message on the Assessment Overview indicating their submission will be sent through Turnitin.

turnitin_notif.png

Learners will also need to read and agree to Turnitin's End User Licence Agreement before submitting their assessment.

turnitin_EULA.png

Once their submission has been made, the assessment information will be uploaded into Turnitin and will be displayed in the Assessment Marking interface.

View Turnitin Similarity Results

When viewing Assessment Attempts in the Assessment Marking interface, responses for Questions with Turnitin enabled will display an additional panel. The panel will display a similarity score associated with the question as well as a link to view the Turnitin report for that specific question.

  1. Go to the Assessment Management area
  2. View an Assessment Instance where Plagiarism Checking has been Enabled
  3. Mark a Specific Assessment Submission
  4. The Similarity Score will be displayed next to each question to assist with marking
 

Tip: You can click the View Submission button to launch Turnitin and view more details about the Similarity Score. You must have a login to the connected Turnitin account to be able to access this information.

 

Note: The Similarity Score may take some time to load and not be displayed immediately. The speed at which this information loads is dependent on the Turnitin system and not aXcelerate.

Configure Turnitin Integration Settings

In the Turnitin Integration settings area, there are some options that allow some control over the integration.

 

Warning: All of the following settings are controlled by Turnitin, not aXcelerate. Please consult the Turnitin help documentation for further information.

Indexing Options

This determines whether the Assessment Submissions sent through aXcelerate are included in Similarity checks. Indexing these submissions allows you to compare individual submissions as opposed to just searching existing Turnitin databases for plagiarism.

Institution Source Text Visibility

This determines whether instructors of matching sources within the same institution can view the full text of the original submission.

Institution Match Detail Visibility

This determines whether instructors of matching sources within the same institution can view basic details about the original submission and the person who submitted the file. This includes class details, their name, and submission dates.

When creating individual Assessments that have Turnitin) enabled, there are some additional options that can be configured within the Assessment Settings. Again, these options are controlled by Turnitin, not aXcelerate.

Exclude Bibliography

Turnitin indicates that bibliography will automatically be detected by our machine learning algorithms and not included in the Similarity Report.

Exclude Quotes

Turnitin indicates that any quoted text in the uploaded file will be identified and will not be included in the Similarity Report.

Turnitin FAQs

Q.

Does the integration work with other Turnitin products besides Similarity?

A.

In addition to Similarity, aXcelerate integration will also work with Turnitin Originality.

Q.

Can plagiarism checking be done individually for particular Assessment Submissions?

A.

Plagiarism checking is currently enabled at the Assessment level and cannot be individually configured for specific submissions. This functionality is intended to be added as a future improvement, but is not currently available.

Q.

Is the integration compatible with Standard Assessments?

A.

The integration is only compatible with Online Assessments available on aXcelerate Turbo licences and will not be supported for Standard Assessments.

Q.

Why is the similarity score not available?

A.

When a submission is uploaded to Turnitin, it may not be available immediately. Depending on the size of the file, the Turnitin system may take some time before it returns a Similarity Score. When the result is made available by Turnitin, the Similarity score will be shown in the aXcelerate Assessment Marking interface.

Q.

Where can I find more information about the integration configuration options?

A.

The Turnitin integration settings - such as Indexing Options - are controlled by Turnitin and simply exposed via the integration for you to configure. The aXcelerate system has no control over the way in which these settings behave and you will need to reach out to Turnitin for any questions that relate to these specific options.

Q.

What file extension types are accepted for file upload questions using TurnItIn?

A.

Turnitin accepts many different file extension types, with the aXcelerate integration these are .pdf, .doc, .ppt, .xls, .docx, .xlsx

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