A Collaborative Pilot Project Funded by TurnitinUK and Sandpit Education, Sept 2009 - March 2010


Project Leader: Dr Esyin Chew
Project investigators: Dr Trevor Price (AT), Dr. Colin Rogers (HeSAS), Dr Ana Martin (BUS), Isabel Martin (BuS), Kim Blakey (HASS), Norah Noblett (HASS),

Introduction and Research Aims

The aim of this proposal is to investigate the learning and teaching experiences with Turnitin from various disciplines at the University of Glamorgan. This is a collaborative project between a few academics from different faculties by comparing and contrasting their perception and experience of ‘technology enhanced learning’, as well as their students’ experiences. It is proposed to provide a critical analysis of the pedagogical and technological impact of an online submission and grading system, Turnitin, which may vary between the science-based disciplines and social science-based disciplines within the institution. The rationale of the proposed research arises from a PhD study, a cross-disciplinary study of blended learning experience in higher education. It is recognised that most of the technology enhanced learning research has been devoted to technological-centered development and there is also a lack of cross-disciplinary comparative investigation underpinned by educational theory.

Taking a small group of the Glamorgan Academics and their students from different disciplines (Glamorgan Business School, Health, Sport and Science, Advanced Technology and Humanities and Social Sciences), the proposed collaborative project responds with the following objectives:
a.) To identify both the academics’ and students’ positive and negative experiences on Turnitin – the online submission, plagiarism detection, feedback and grading tool
b.) To discover academics’ perceptions and experience of the impact brought by (a) underpinned by Vygotsky’s educational theory
c.) To produce a series of good case studies and a video based on the findings from (a) and (b) to promote blended assessment and feedback


Summary of the project findings: project collected both staff and student data. 104 students in 4 Faculties had completed an online questionnaire, and 5 lecturers had taken part in video interviews. The results of this project have been published in the following list. The data had highlighted that positive aspects of the software were that it was convenient, fast, flexible and promoted good academic writing, while the negative aspects were the confusion over the originality report and the 24 hour delay between the 1st and 2nd submission. A short-guide about what the Turnitin Originality report is and what it isn't has been produced after considering the students ' feedback. With regard to Grademark, 77% of students who replied were positive about the quality of the feedback and noted that it speeds up the marking process, while negative aspects highlighted were the initial learning curve and the stability of the network.

Pleas click to see the following presentation:

1. Chew, E., Price, T., Roger, C., Blakey, K., N., Noblett, Matins, A., Martins, I. (2010) Video and Poster Presentation for a Pilot Project for Turnitin and Grademark experience,‘Turn it in or Turn it off?’, The 4th Plagiarism Conference – Towards an Authentic Future, Northumbria University, 21- 23 June 2010.
2. Chew, E., Price, R., Roger, C., Blakey, K., N., Noblett, Matins, A., Martins, I. (2010) ‘Turn it in or Turn it off – Confirming and Disconfirming Experience for Innovative Computer aided Assessment and Feedback’, Proceedings of 9th European Conference on e-Learning, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Portugal, 4-5 November 2010, pp.155-162.