Blackboard SafeAssign
SafeAssign SafeAssign (SA) is tool that helps both students and instructors. After students submit their papers, the tool compares the papers to a database of academic work [note: not all professional journals are included] and internet sources. SA produces a report on the submitted paper, which instructors can make available to students. The instructors can view the report for a draft and provide helpful feedback so the student correctly quotes, paraphrases, and cites sources in the final paper; SA also works as a final assessment. In addition, instructors can directly submit papers. Create a SafeAssignment These steps will help you create a SafeAssignment in your course. 1. Begin with the edit mode ON. 2. Edit an existing assignment or create a new assignment (see Assessments>Assignment). In the assignment set-up, click on Submission Details. 3. Check whether you would like to allow students to view the SafeAssign originality report for their attempts and whether to exclude attempts from Institutional or Global References Databases. Created by mclaughlinm Updated 6.29.15 by brownt Page 1 of 6 Student Submission 1. When students click the assignment link they will see the following screen, which informs them that their assignment will be used and stored as part of SafeAssign. They may also agree to submit their paper to the Global Reference Database if the instructor has not excluded it in the setup. If you use the Global Database, it helps to explain it to students ahead of time. Note: Students should expect to wait between 5 and 15 minutes for a report. Viewing the Report 1. Instructors can access the SA Report in the Grade Center. Click on the student’s assignment, and then click on SafeAssign and View Originality Report. The student can come back to this screen by clicking on the name of the assignment in the Grade Center. Created by mclaughlinm Updated 6.29.15 by brownt Page 2 of 6 2. The report is shown with a color coded list of potential matches. Click on a highlighted section of the assignment to see the uploaded (submitted) text compared to the matching source. You can click on a citation (see below) to view the full source. 3. Instructors may unselect sources and resubmit. Direct Submission by Instructor If you need to give feedback on a writing assignment or check for plagiarism, you can directly submit a student’s paper. 1. Under the Course Tools menu click SafeAssign Created by mclaughlinm Updated 6.29.15 by brownt Page 3 of 6 2. Click Direct Submit 3. Click Private 4. Submit Paper 5. Check Submit as Draft to produce an SA report but not add the paper to the database. 6. Upload (attach) the paper or paste it into a text box. Created by mclaughlinm Updated 6.29.15 by brownt Page 4 of 6 7. Click Submit 8. Wait about 5-15 minutes for the SA report. Retrieve it in Direct Submit. Instructor Information Matching % should not alarm you or students. The percentage can mean that some of the student’s writing is exact or close to exact to other material. However, the percentage can also mean that attribution phrases commonly used (e.g., According to the National Institutes of Health) match other student writing or that a full citation in the Works Cited is exact to another student paper. Therefore, a percentage of 50% or more should raise some concern. Therefore, instructors should carefully review a student’s SA Report. Click on the green checkmark to view the student’s SA Report. The report is the same for instructors and students. Reminder: Students can get feedback on their essays from instructors in the Learner Support Center (walk-in) or from Western’s Online Writing Center at http://www.westerntc.edu/writingcenter/tutor.asp Additional Resources: Blackboard Help https://help.blackboard.com Created by mclaughlinm Updated 6.29.15 by brownt Page 5 of 6 Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/1/ [quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Created by mclaughlinm Updated 6.29.15 by brownt Page 6 of 6
