Using SafeAssign

Introduction to SafeAssignEducational Technologies and Learning Commons

OverviewWhat is SafeAssign?What do you need to use SafeAssign?Hiding Blackboard Assignments from Course Menu.Set up SafeAssign, create SafeAssignments, create announcements, and view student submissions.Viewing SafeAssign reports.Grading SafeAssignments.Set up Direct Submit, submitting student work outside of SafeAssign tool.Tips and Best PracticesSources for more information.

What is SafeAssign?SafeAssignis an anti-plagiarism tool integrated with Blackboard. It allows an instructor to set up a SafeAssignment within Blackboard where students can post their work. Once the assignment is submitted the program uses a text matching algorithm to compare the student’s submitted work to several online database sources. The program then produces an originality report that is viewable by the instructor and students if the option is selected.

Compared against billions of sourcesSafeAssign compares submitted works against:Internet sources (powered by Windows Live search www.live.comProQuest ABI/Inform database of over 2.5 million articles.SafeAssign institutional databaseSafeAssign Global Reference Database – Students voluntarily submit papersUsed across institutions

What do you need to use SafeAssign?SafeAssign is available for use only within Blackboard. To use SafeAssign you need:Blackboard AccountBlackboard Course SectionMust use SafeAssignment plug-in as opposed to the assignment tool in Blackboard

SafeAssign includesDedicated assignment toolPlagiarism detection algorithm compares assignments to billions of sourcesClear Originality Reports to support faculty decision-makingStudent opt-in to the Global Reference DatabaseGradebook integration

Opt-in Global DatabaseGlobal Reference Database Statement and checkbox.Lets students protect their original work.SafeAssign matches submissions against works submitted to the Global Database.

Getting StartedStep 1: Log inLog into Blackboard at http://boston.umassonline.netStep 2: Access Course SectionClick the link for your course section from the My UMassOnline page.

Prior to setting up SafeAssignHide Assignments from course menu.From Build tab select Manage Course from Designer Tools Select Tools from Manage Course page

Hide Blackboard AssignmentsMake sure the Assignments check box under Student Learning Activities is un-checked.Click Save.The Assignments option no longer appears on the Course Menu.

Set up SafeAssignmentFrom Build tab select Course Content from Course Tools menu.Click Add Content Link then select SafeAssign

Set up SafeAssignmentClick Create SafeAssignEnter a title into the text box. Check the box to have assignments open in a new window.Click Configure!

Set up SafeAssignmentThe SafeAssignment icon appears on the course home page.

Create SafeAssignmentClick Teach tab.Click the SafeAssignments link from your course home page. Click Create SafeAssignment.

Create SafeAssignment OptionsEnter a title and description for the SafeAssignment.Enter a due date in mm/dd/yyyy format and the time it is due.

Student Draft FeatureLets students run the SafeAssign process against their own paper.Helps students understand what plagiarism is.Draft: If you select Yes, the student paper is not checked into institutional database.Student Viewable: Selecting Yes means that student can view SafeAssign report before finally submitting their work.

Create SafeAssignmentUrgent CheckingDoes not impact processing time. Usually takes 1.5 min. Can take longer during peak periods.GradingGrade book is integrated with SafeAssignment.Click Save to save changes.

SafeAssignment CreatedA success message appears and the SafeAssignment is listed with Title, Due Date and Edit icon.

Create Announcement (Optional)From Teach tab, click Announcements from Course Menu.Click Create Announcement.Enter a Title and Message to inform students about the SafeAssignment in the appropriate boxes. Select Students from the Recipients section.Select the Start Date and End Date in the Delivery Dates section.Check the box beside Also deliver as a pop-up message.Click Send.

Access Student SubmissionsAccess Home Page from Teach tab.Click the SafeAssignments link.Click the title of the SafeAssignment to access to access SafeAssignDropbox.

SafeAssignmentDropboxGrade: Allows you to enter grade.Text: Links to submitted paper and comments from student.Matching: Percentage of matching between student’s submitted work and outside sources.SA Report: Links to the SafeAssign Report.File: Allows you to download the original file submitted.Submitted: Date and Time paper was submitted.

SafeAssignment ReportsSafeAssignment Reports tell you how much of the student’s submitted document matches other sources as an overall percentage. Blackboard recommends:scores over 15% should be checked to see if content has been cited properlyscores over 40% indicate plagiarism is likely and further investigation is recommended.

Source ComparisonSafeAssign looks for strings of at least 3 words together.

Grading SafeAssignmentsTo grade a SafeAssignment click Teach tab. Click on SafeAssignment content link from Home PageClick Assignment link

Grading SafeAssignmentClick the ! link in the Grade column.Enter the Grade in the Grade box.Enter comments for the student and/or attach a feedback file.

Grading SafeAssignmentsClick Submit.

Grade Book IntegrationFrom Teach tab, click Grade Book from Instructor Tools menu.SafeAssignment Grades are viewable/editable in Grade Book

Direct SubmitThe Direct Submit tool is for Instructor use.Use Direct Submit to submit student work from previous courses to build repository of documents in the institutional database. Can use this option for papers submitted by email or any work submitted outside of SafeAssign.Can not submit papers to Global Database.Can upload multiple files at a time as a zip archive (up to 100 files at a time).Not integrated with grade book.

Set up Direct SubmitFrom Build tab click Add Content Link and select SafeAssign Direct Submit.Click Create SafeAssign DirectSubmit.

Set up Direct SubmitEnter a title into the box and click Configure!.

Direct SubmitClick Teach tab.Click the Direct Submit content link from the Home pageTakes you to the Direct Submit management console.

Direct SubmitClick Private or Shared.Create a folder for organizing submissions by entering a folder title under New Folder and click Add.Click Submit Papers to add files.Previously submitted papers will be listed to the right with filename along with a link to the file, matching score, SA Report and date submitted.

Direct SubmitSelect paper submission option:Submit as a draftSkip Plagiarism checkingClick Browse to upload file or click Copy/Paste Document option, enter title and paste the text to the text box. Click Submit.

General TipsDrafts – not checked into institutional database.Allow 5 to 10 mins for SA report return.File sizes under 2 MB.Formats accepted: doc, docx, odt, pdf, txt, rtf, htm or html

SafeAssign Instructor Presentation for StudentsA customizable PowerPoint presentation is available.Lets students know you that are using SafeAssign and why you are using it.

SafeAssign ConsiderationsProvides a starting point to identify potential intellectual property issues.Cannot determine if sources were cited properly.Considers titles of books and articles as copied textFootnotes, endnotes and bibliographies can inflate the score.

SafeAssign Best PracticesCreate simple assignment to show what is allowed, not allowedAllow students to submit work in Draft mode.Release reports to students.Use SafeAssign as a way to educate students about plagiarism.Provide links to guides for citing resources properly.Help students to conceptualize SafeAssign as a tool for their use, and much like a spell checker or grammar checker.

Student Citation Resources A good resource for getting students to think about plagiarism: Rutgers Provost Video on PlagiarismAdditional resources may be found in the Code of Student Conduct "Academic Honesty" http://www.umb.edu/students/student_rights/code_conduct.htmlReading, Writing, and Study Strategies Center (RWSSC)http://www.academicsupport.umb.edu/rwsscenter.htmReference Librarianshttp://www.lib.umb.edu/research-help

Where to get more informationSafeAssignVisit www.safeassign.com and wiki.safeassign.com for more information and download manual.Download this presentation from www.umb.edu/it website.

Using SafeAssign

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