TurnItIn can help the IU community

Late at night, sleepless and caffeinated, we've all thought about doing it. A lot of students probably have plagiarized something, accidentally or on purpose. \nAlthough there is no excuse for deliberately stealing someone's work, it's too easy to cite a quote incorrectly or to become so absorbed in what you read that you accidentally use the author's own words.\nWhether it's sloppiness or pure laziness that causes plagiarism, we all have an interest in making IU a model of academic honesty. As a campus community, we should try anything that works to make students honest, careful scholars. \nThe Bloomington Faculty Council is considering whether to purchase a subscription to TurnItIn.com. IU has been using a pilot version of the program for about 18 months and now must decide whether it wants to continue using TurnItIn's services. \nA Web site begun in 1996, TurnItIn.com caters to teachers and students trying to avoid plagiarism by checking student work for resemblance to anything in its massive database of word documents. The Web site does in a few seconds what is impossible for a teacher to do given hours. Some professors have already implemented TurnItIn in their classes.\nBFC is doing a survey of teachers to find out how the pilot program has gone. Although only about 30 percent of the professors surveyed have replied, Director of Teaching and Learning Technologies Dave Goodrum said that based on the responses, the program had been very well received. \nTurnItIn's biggest benefit for students is the opportunity to check their own work and learn from mistakes before they submit less-than-original work. In the long run, when students find their own errors by running papers through TurnItIn's database, they will produce better professional work that won't embarrass themselves or their employers. \nWe hope that the professors in the survey have taken into account their students' responses to the program, because if the subscription is adopted, it will directly affect everyday life for students. \nThe Web site gives professors a chance to track down sophisticated plagiarism, and puts the resources of the Internet on the side of academic honesty. TurnItIn helps even the playing field in class for honest students who are not willing to cheat. \nThe cost for the program subscription is estimated at about $25,000 per year -- less than a dollar per student. With that subscription fee, any professor can set up a profile and their students are able to submit unlimited papers. If BFC decides to purchase the subscription, the money shouldn't be wasted. We hope that this technology will be used to its full potential in the fight against cheating.\nEven though a few thousand dollars is a miniscule amount compared to other University expenditures, it is still money and every dollar should count. Professors and students alike should take advantage of the bargain if it becomes available. TurnItIn can be a boon to the whole University community because everyone benefits when hard, honest work is valued.