A four-day capacity training workshop aimed at broadening the knowledge and skills of Academic Senior Members on the use of “Turnitin”, a plagiarism check software, has ended at the Training Room of the Sam Jonah Library.
Organised by the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) in collaboration with the Directorate of Information and Communication Technology Services (DICTS) and Sam Jonah Library, the workshop offered the participants the opportunity to arm themselves with the requisite knowledge about Turnitin to fight the menace of plagiarism in postgraduate research work.
Topics treated included “the enhanced process of creating a class, setting assignments as well as uploading document (s) for similarity check, and interpretation of the similarity reports generated by the system".
The Turnitin Account Administrator of the University, Mr. Isaac Nketsiah, who addressed the participants, explained that the University had instituted measures to reduce the increasing spate of plagiarism in postgraduate research work, pointing out that “postgraduate studies drive research work in every institution of higher learning”.
"The Turnitin software is to help reduce the level of plagiarism and increase the potency and originality of research output’, he added.
Access and Benefits
Apart from the software being a diagnostic tool for checking potential plagiarism, Mr. Nketsiah was quick to add that it could also provide both the instructors and students with the platform to mark, score, and to make assessments and comments.
‘‘Turnitin solutions promote academic integrity, streamline grading and feedback, deter plagiarism, and improve student outcomes, ’’ Mr. Nketsiah stressed.
On requirements for one to get access, he noted that first name, last name, and an institutional email address were the requirements needed to register one as an instructor or a student.
For his part, the E-resources Librarian, Dr. Osman Imoro, who took the participants through the “Enhanced Process of Creating a Class, Setting Assignments as well as uploading document (s) for similarity check”, emphasised that during this stage, instructors were not supposed to submit any draft manuscripts or students works including thesis, into the standard paper repository as it could create serious problems.
Some of the participants in an interview indicated that the workshop was timely, and had adequately equipped them to effectively supervise students to produce quality theses and assignments.