In time for the new academic year, the University will be undertaking an upgrade to the Turnitin System which is run via Blackboard. Please ensure that you read the following information to see how these updates affect your online delivery.
What is happening?
In the next week, the University will be switching on a new and improved version of Turnitin within our Blackboard system. This new version of Turnitin integrates into Blackboard in a different way (LTI) than the existing version (henceforth titled “Turnitin (Legacy)”).
Over the course of the coming academic year, the University will be switching to Turnitin (LTI) and decommissioning Turnitin (Legacy). While this transition occurs, both versions of TurnItIn will be available for staff to use.
What differences will you experience this semester?
- You can still use Turnitin as normal at this time. However, when adding a new Turnitin assignment via the existing route (Blackboard Course > Assessments > Turnitin Assignment), you will observe that the title “Turnitin Assignment” has changed to “Turnitin Legacy”.
- When using the “Build Content” menu, you will observe a new item within the list titled “Turnitin”, this represents the new version of Turnitin.
In the next few weeks and months, the eLearning Teams across campus will be working hard to issue information and training to all staff and students regarding the new version of TurnItIn.
What do you need to do?
Please continue to read announcements in the ongoing weeks/months as we issue more information and guidance. The FBMH eLearning Team will continue to communicate information and training about these changes as soon as we are able.
At this point in time, we have several recommendations based on the most likely scenarios:
“I have already set up my Turnitin Assignments for the Start of Year”
In this scenario, continue to use your Turnitin assignment as you had originally planned. However, we advise that you take a backup of all submitted papers once the assignment is fully completed (prior to September 2022), for which eLearning will shortly issue training and guidance.
“I have not yet set up my Turnitin Assignments for this coming semester, they run early in the semester”
Please create your Turnitin assignment as usual (note the name change to Turnitin (Legacy)). Please make some time to back up the student submissions once the assignment is fully completed (prior to September 2022), for which eLearning will shortly issue training and guidance.
“I have not yet set up my Turnitin Assignment for this coming semester, they run late in the semester”
Please consider waiting a few weeks before creating your Turnitin assignment in order to give us time to issue more guidance and training. The additional time will mean that we can transition your course to new Turnitin this semester and students will retain access to submissions post-September 2022.
“I want to switch now”
Early adoption is going to be encouraged in FBMH, though if you are teaching on courses in other faculties you may wish to check local decisions. The FBMH eLearning Team will be issuing comms, training and guidance as soon as we are able to do so in the coming weeks.
“I don’t want to switch”
Unfortunately, the decision to decommission Building Blocks is out of the University’s control, therefore all staff and students must switch to the new system prior to September 2022.
“Can I wait until next summer to switch?”
We appreciate that it is tempting to wait until next summer to make the switch. However, when Turnitin (Legacy) is switched off in September 2022, students and staff will lose access to papers submitted via Turnitin (Legacy). In order to ensure the highest quality Student Experience, we request that you prepare to make the switch as early as is feasible.
Why is this happening now?
During the course of the summer, the university has been informed that Blackboard will be depreciating its older method of system integration called “Building Blocks” in favour of a new standard called “LTI”. This unfortunately means that our current version of Turnitin (Legacy) will no longer be supported from September 2022 and will be switched off. At this time, access to existing Turnitin assignments created via Turnitin (Legacy) will cease.
In order to ensure as seamless a transition as possible, we have made the decision to run the systems in parallel for one academic year and use the time to manage the transition between the two systems.