Language Centres at a Crossroads

Although there are those who argue that students increasingly take less responsibility for their own learning and outsource it to university staff or technology, it is possible to use some tools in the classroom in a way that promotes student autonomy and develops their self-reflection and metacognition. One such an example is the use of the plagiarism detection programme, Turnitin. Although the most basic way to use this programme is as a 'policing' tool to find instances of plagiarism, it is much more valuable when used as a teaching tool, and then becomes a learning tool for students to develop their own confidence in academic writing. Turnitin allows students to upload their written work and then highlights all instances of the student's text that is similar to text found on the internet, in online journals, and in previously submitted papers. Instead of merely being used to catch students who plagiarise (which is a small percentage of cases), it can be used to identify specific problems with student writing, such as instances of excessive quoting from source material, quotes without correct punctuation or citations, reliance on a particular source or poor quality sources, incorrect referencing techniques, as well as outright plagiarism. By allowing students to see their results after uploading and letting them correct these errors before final submission of a task, teachers and lecturers are transferring the responsibility of academic integrity to the students. In addition, teachers can also learn to identify the causes of students' errors, whether it be a lack of understanding of the content or a language problem. They do, however, need to guide students in interpreting the feedback and must link it to the principles of ethical research and writing, so that students can become more autonomous and confident in their ability to assess their own writing.

Přestože se může zdát, že studenti přijímají stále méně odpovědnosti za vlastní učení a přenášejí tuto odpovědnost na univerzitní pedagogy či na moderní technologie, máme v rukou nástroje, jichž můžeme ve výuce využít k podpoře samostatnosti studentů, k rozvoji jejich sebereflexe a metakognice. Jedním z příkladů takového nástroje je Turnitin - program pro odhalování plagiátorství. Ačkoli se ve své podstatě používá jako nástroj pro „kontrolu“ výskytu plagiátorství, jeho hodnota spočívá především ve využitelnosti v samotné výuce. Pak se stává nástrojem učení, který umožní studentům posílit sebedůvěru rozvojem dovednosti akademického psaní. Jakmile student odevzdá písemný úkol, vyučující mu/jí prostřednictvím Turnitinu ukáže podobnosti v textu, umožní identifikovat a opravit chyby, pochopit podstatu problému a poskytne asistenci při získání relevantní zpětné vazby.

References:

• Betts, L.R., Bostock, L.R., Elder, T.J. & Trueman, M. 2013. Encouraging good writing practice in first-year psychology students writing: an intervention using Turnitin. Psychology Teaching Review, 18(2):74-81.
• Dahl, S. 2007. Turnitin^®: The student perspective on using plagiarism detection software. Active Learning in Higher Education, 8(2):173-191.
• Rolfe, V. 2011. Can Turnitin be used to provide instant formative feedback? British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(4):701-710.

Zaan Bester has lectured in the fields of Academic Writing, Academic Literacy, and English for Specific Purposes for 20 years. She is passionate about language, intercultural communication, referencing systems, blended learning, good writing, students, and helping people see the value of being able to communicate their ideas well, regardless of academic discipline. Having been at Stellenbosch University near Cape Town, South Africa her entire professional life, she decided to embark on a new professional challenge in 2018 and took up a job at the University of Pardubice in the Czech Republic, working for the university's Language Centre and International Office.