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2016/2018

Further & Higher Education SafeAssign – Lecturer How To Author – A Serplus Revision date – June 2016

of 13 ALAN SERPLUS - CQAPD

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Date of this revision: 05/04/2016

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16/09/2014 N/A First Issue

05/04/2016 16/09/2016 Update to reflect new College structure

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Contents

DOCUMENT HISTORY ...................................................................................................... 2

Document Location ...................................................................................................................2 Revision History .........................................................................................................................2 Document Approval/Planned Revision .....................................................................................2 Distribution ................................................................................................................................2

BLACKBOARD 9.1- SAFEASSIGN – INSTRUCTOR/LECTURER .................................................. 4

WHAT IS SAFEASSIGN ................................................................................................................4 COLLEGE RULES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SAFEASSIGN ........................................................4

Higher Education ................................................................................................................................... 4

Further Education .................................................................................................................................. 4

HOW TO USE SAFEASSIGN IN YOUR ASSESSMENTS ..................................................................5 SUBMISSION DETAILS ................................................................................................................6

"Exclude Submissions" Option .............................................................................................................. 6

Worked example ................................................................................................................................... 6

SUPPORTED FILES ......................................................................................................................6 SAFEASSIGN ORIGINALITY REPORTS ..........................................................................................6 GLOBAL REFERENCE DATABASE ................................................................................................7

SAFEASSIGN ORIGINALITY REPORT ................................................................................... 7

ACCESSING THE REPORT ............................................................................................................7 REPORT LAYOUT ........................................................................................................................8

Report information ................................................................................................................................ 9

Citations ................................................................................................................................................. 9

Manuscript text ..................................................................................................................................... 9

Multiple Attachments and Attempts ................................................................................................... 10

INTERPRETATION OF SAFEASSIGN SCORES ............................................................................ 10 Scores below 15%: ............................................................................................................................... 10

Scores between 15 percent and 40 percent: ...................................................................................... 10

Scores over 40 percent: ....................................................................................................................... 10

CONSIDERATION OF ASSESSMENT TYPES .............................................................................. 11 Research Required Assessments: ........................................................................................................ 11

Non Research Required Assessments: ................................................................................................ 11

DIRECTSUBMIT ............................................................................................................. 12

HOW TO USE DIRECTSUBMIT ................................................................................................. 12 DIRECTSUBMIT - SHARED AND PRIVATE FOLDERS ................................................................. 12

LANGUAGE SUPPORT IN SAFEASSIGN ............................................................................. 12

SAFEASSIGN SUPPORTS ENGLISH-BASED LANGUAGES .......................................................... 12 HOW TO USE SAFEASSIGN IN YOUR ASSESSMENTS (THE BASICS) ....................................... 13


BLACKBOARD 9.1- SAFEASSIGN – INSTRUCTOR/LECTURER

WHAT IS SAFEASSIGN

SafeAssign is integrated into Blackboard Learn assignments. It is used to review assessment submissions

for plagiarism and create opportunities to help students identify how to properly attribute reference

sources. SafeAssign is effective as both a deterrent and an educational tool.

SafeAssign compares submitted assessment against a set of academic papers, such as previously submitted

assessments, journals and books, to identify areas of overlap between the student submission and existing

works.

SafeAssign detects exact and inexact matching between student submissions and source materials.

The student submissions are compared against several databases:

Internet: Comprehensive index of documents available for public access on the internet;

ProQuest ABI/Inform database: More than 1,100 publication titles and about 2.6 million articles

from 1990 to present time, updated weekly (exclusive access);

College document archives: Contains all papers submitted to SafeAssign by users within the

College;

Global Reference Database: Contains papers that were volunteered by students from Blackboard

client institutions to help prevent cross-institution plagiarism.

COLLEGE RULES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF SAFEASSIGN

Students must be informed at the start of the academic year of which modules and assessments will be

subject to SafeAssign. The September template for the minutes of the Programme Team Meeting will

facilitate the planning and identification of the modules and assessments.

Students must be issued the “Assessment Submission & SafeAssign – Student hand-out” and directed to

the Student SafeAssign – How to for further details.

Higher Education

A short assessments submission through SafeAssign must take place before November, without

official penalties, to be used as a teaching and learning opportunity for students. (This can be a

specific module criteria submission or as part of a study skills exercise).

Each academic cohort must have a minimum of 2 assessments submitted through SafeAssign, up to

a maximum of 20% of all assessment submissions.

A project submission should not be submitted through SafeAssign.

Further Education

A short assessments submission through SafeAssign must take place before November, without

official penalties, to be used as a teaching and learning opportunity for students. (This can be a

specific module criteria submission or as part of a study skills, pastoral care and/or tutorial

exercise).

For 2014/15, academic year 1 assessment submission from 2nd year cohorts excluding Project

submissions.

For subsequent academic years, each cohort year must have a minimum of 2 assessments

submitted through SafeAssign, up to a maximum of 20% of all assessment submissions.


HOW TO USE SAFEASSIGN IN YOUR ASSESSMENTS

SafeAssign can be used as a plagiarism tool for any individual assessment that has a significant written

element.

1. Select Assessments from the main edit tabs;

2. Select Assignment;

3. Enter Name of Assessment;

4. Upload any necessary files;

5. Enter due date;

6. Expand Submission Details. (Figure 1)

6.1. Select “Check submissions for plagiarism using SafeAssign”;

6.2. Optionally, select one or both options:

6.2.1. Allow students to view the SafeAssign originality reports on their submissions.

6.2.2. Exclude all student submissions for this assignment from the institutional or global

reference databases.

7. Expand Grading Options;

7.1. Optionally select the marking methods relevant to qualification;

7.1.1. Enable anonymous marking;

7.1.2. Enable delegated marking;

8. Expand Display of Grades and complete as necessary;

9. Enter dates for displaying assessment;

10. Click Submit to complete.

Figure 1


SUBMISSION DETAILS

"Exclude Submissions" Option

Learn Assignment Drafts – The intent of a draft submission on a Learn Assignment is to allow the

student to save their work prior to full submission. Lecturers are not able to see saved drafts on

Learn Assignments at any time, and do not have visibility into the draft history once an assignment

is submitted; saved drafts are entirely student-facing.

Selecting “Exclude Submissions” when creating the Learn Assignment allows instructors to create

Learn Assignments that prevent the student draft submission from being added into the

Institutional or Global Reference Databases. This option will be point-in-time and editable after

assignment creation and if changed at a later date submission would be added to the College or

Global Reference Databases.

Worked example

An instructor would like a single Learn Assignment to allow non-final submissions, then a single "final"

submission, and only the final submission should be included by SafeAssign in the College database for

reference against later submissions. This is accomplished by:

1. Lecturer creates a “Learn Assignment” with multiple attempts and enabling SafeAssign;

2. The "exclude submissions" option initially turned on;

3. Student submit their pre-final "draft" works, and submissions are not included in the College or

Global Databases;

4. When the final submission is expected, the instructor unselects the "exclude submissions" option;

5. Students submit final works, which are checked against SafeAssign and added to the College and

Global Databases.

SUPPORTED FILES

SafeAssign only supports file types that are convertible to plain text. This includes the following file types:

DOCX, DOC, PDF, TXT, ODT, RTF, HTML, and HTM. PowerPoint and spreadsheet files are not supported.

SafeAssign also accepts ZIP files and processes files that match any of these file types.

SafeAssign counts and displays the total number of attachments in a submission, as well as the number of

attachments processed by SafeAssign. SafeAssign only processes and creates originality reports for

attachments that match the supported file types. For unsupported file types, the SafeAssign originality

report omits a matching score.

SAFEASSIGN ORIGINALITY REPORTS

After a paper is processed, a report is generated detailing the percentage of text in the submitted paper

that matches existing sources. The report shows the suspected sources for each section of the submitted

paper that returns a match. Matching sources can be deleted from the report and processed again. This is

useful if the paper is a continuation of a previously submitted work by the same student.

Lecturers must read the report carefully and investigate whether each block of text is properly attributed.


GLOBAL REFERENCE DATABASE

Blackboard’s Global Reference Database is a separate database where students voluntarily donate copies of

their papers to help prevent plagiarism. It is separated from each institution's internal database, where all

papers are stored by each corresponding institution. Students are free to select the option to check their

papers without submitting them to the Global Reference Database. Students submit their papers to the

database voluntarily and agree not to delete papers in the future. Submissions to the Global Reference

Database are extra copies that are given voluntarily for the purpose of helping with plagiarism prevention.

Blackboard does not claim ownership of submitted papers.

SAFEASSIGN ORIGINALITY REPORT

A SafeAssign originality report provides detailed information about the matches found between a student's

submitted paper and existing sources. Both lecturers and students can use the report to review

assessment submissions for plagiarism potential and create opportunities to identify how to properly

attribute sources rather than paraphrase. When lecturers create a Blackboard Learn Assignment and

choose to make use of the SafeAssign service, they determine if students can see the results of the report.

The report identifies all matching blocks of text. Instructors and students need to determine if the matching

text is properly referenced. Investigating each match prevents detection errors due to differences in citing

standards.

The originality report displays the list of potential sources, and each source is highlighted in a different

colour. The report can display up to 30 colours to represent 30 different sources.

Originality report information adapts to the screen it appears on, such as an iPad® or iPhone®. Other devices

may or may not be supported.

ACCESSING THE REPORT

When a SafeAssign report has finished processing, you can access it on the Grade Assignment page. The

Grade Assignment page is accessible from the Grade Center or the Needs Grading page.

In the Grade Center, locate the assessment that was created for submission using you SafeAssign. Following

the submission date individual assessments will be indicated by an exclamation mark (needs grading icon).

Access the cell's contextual menu and click the attempt. (Figure 2)

Figure 2

On the Grade Assignment page, a SafeAssign section appears in the grading sidebar. While the report is

processing, the following statement appears: Report in progress...


When the report is ready to view, a percentage appears in the grading sidebar. Expand the SafeAssign link

and click View Originality Report to view the results in a new window. (Figure 3)

Figure 3

REPORT LAYOUT

A SafeAssign originality report is divided into three areas:

Report information

Citations

Manuscript text

For more room for viewing the paper's text, the right panel is collapsible with the right-pointing arrow. The

highlighting colours remain in the collapsed view. (Figure 4)

Figure 4


Report information

Report information appears in the right panel of the report. When the width of the viewing area is

reduced, this information appears at the top. Data about the paper, such as the author, percent of

matching text, word count, and when it was submitted. If students have included multiple

attachments, they appear with the report information. A printable version can also be viewed.

This printable version is the most effective view of the report for users who rely on assistive

technology to access Blackboard Learn. At the top of the page, click Print to view the printable

version. Download the PDF to email to others.

Citations

The sources that include text that matches the submitted paper's text are listed in the right panel

of the report. Expand the section to select sources, exclude them from the review, and process the

paper again. (Figure 4)

Click “Select Sources &Resubmit” to determine which sources to include in the next report. By

default, all sources are included. Clear the check box for each source you want to exclude from the

results and resubmit. This is useful if a source is a previous work from the same student for the

same assessment. You might also exclude a source if there is a reason that lengthy sections from

the source appear in the submission. Processing the submission again generates a new value for

the percent matching without using the excluded sources.

Manuscript text

The submitted assessment appears in the left panel of the report with all matching blocks of text

identified. Each source has a color specific to the source—up to 30 unique colors for 30 different

sources. Text matching a source is highlighted in the source color and identified with a number. In

the right panel, you can click Show/Hide All Highlighting to turn source highlighting off and on for

all sources at one time. Highlighting can be turned off and on for only one citation. Click Remove

or Show Highlighting next to a citation.

Click a matching block of text to display information about the original source and the probability

that the block or sentence was copied from the source. (Figure 5)

Figure 5

Lecturers must use the pertinent findings within the report to determine what grade, or grading

criteria to assign to the student on the “Grade Assignment” page.


Multiple Attachments and Attempts

SafeAssign recognises a student's multiple attempts towards an individual assessment. SafeAssign

does not check the contents of the student’s current attempt against content from previous

submissions.

If a student includes more than one attachment with an assessment, they are listed in the report.

(Figure 6) Click a file name link to view the file's text in the left panel and view its word count in the

right panel.

Figure 6

INTERPRETATION OF SAFEASSIGN SCORES

All students must be: -

made aware in advance of the issue, reminded during the assessment period and prior to

submission date that the assessment will be subject to SafeAssign checking which has the potential

to result in disciplinary action; and

supplied with the student information sheet prior to issue of the assessment.

In general, the score obtained from the SafeAssign originality report will be treated as a warning indicator.

All assessment submissions with a high percentage score will be further reviewed as there is a high chance

of plagiarism or an over-reliance of cited material. For analysis of matching scores, the following

interpretation scale will be used:-

Scores below 15:

These papers typical include some quotes and few common phrases or blocks of text that match other

documents. These assessment submissions typically do not require further analysis, as there is no

evidence of the possibility of plagiarism in these assessments.

Scores between 15 percent and 40:

These assessment submissions include extensive quoted or paraphrased material or they may include

plagiarism. Assessments submissions with these scores will be reviewed to determine if the matching

content is properly referenced before making any judgments.

(Scores in this range may lead to disciplinary action under academic misconduct – please refer to

student disciplinary policy at www.belfastMet.ac.uk)

Scores over 40:

This assessment submission has a very high probability that text was copied from other sources. In

these cases there is 100% probability that the papers contain some text copied from elsewhere, and,

even if this text is properly cited, such amount of cited material is considered excessive. These

submissions include quoted or paraphrased text in excess and should be reviewed for plagiarism.

(Scores in this range will lead to disciplinary action under academic misconduct – please refer to

student disciplinary policy at www.belfastMet.ac.uk)

http://www.belfastmet.ac.uk/

http://www.belfastmet.ac.uk/


The final report provides an overall percentage of matching text, indicating how much of the

assessment matches material found in Safe Assign’s databases. A score of 25% means that 25% of the

submitted assessment has been matched by SafeAssign and 75% of the text is either original or not

included in the available databases. However, because SafeAssign does not examine how or in what

context outside source material is used, the matching score does not necessarily indicate plagiarism.

As a standard rule, though, matching percentages above 40% indicate that the student has

misused or relied too heavily on outside sources.

CONSIDERATION OF ASSESSMENT TYPES

Once the score has been identified, consideration will be given to the type of assessment set. If the written

assessment undertaken has a research component, the score will be significantly higher than an

assessment that does not require a research component. For Example: -

Research Required Assessments:

Depending on the amount of research required and the preferred referencing style for the course,

an acceptable SafeAssign score could be as high as 40.

A score in excess of 40 generally indicate an overreliance on outside source material.

Non Research Required Assessments:

Submitted assessments that did not call for any research or reference to outside sources, the score

should be less than 10.

The system does not filter out common phrases and coincidental matches due to similar word

combinations. Higher percentages indicate higher degrees of text match.


DIRECTSUBMIT

“DirectSubmit” generates SafeAssign reports on papers not uploaded as an assessment using the

SafeAssign service. You can use “DirectSubmit” to add papers to the College database, such as course

notes, book extracts with publication prior to 1990. Whenever possible, Blackboard advises creating

assignments with the SafeAssign submission option selected. “DirectSubmit” is not integrated with the

Grade Center. In one session using “DirectSubmit”, you can submit a single paper or submit multiple

papers in a single ZIP file. “DirectSubmit” cannot process files that are larger than 10 MB.

HOW TO USE DIRECTSUBMIT

1. Select Bb Control Panel

2. Expand the Course Tools section

3. Click SafeAssign.

4. Click DirectSubmit.

4.1. A list of folders and papers appears that includes papers already uploaded through “DirectSubmit”

by the lecturer or shared through the Programme itself.

4.2. Blackboard recommends not deleting files from “DirectSubmit” because this deletes them from the

institutional database of existing materials.

5. Navigate to a destination folder to upload the paper or ZIP file.

5.1. Alternatively, click Copy/Paste Document and add the document text in the box.

6. Click Submit a Paper.

6.1. If you receive an error stating “that you are not logged in”, check your browser settings. Your

browser settings should allow third party cookies and website data.

7. Click Upload File and browse for the files.

8. Select the upload options:

8.1. Submit as Draft: SafeAssign reports are generated, but the papers are not added to the College

database and is not used to check other papers.

8.2. Skip Plagiarism Checking: This adds the papers to the College database without checking for

content copied from other sources. Use this option to upload papers from an earlier course to

ensure that current students are not reusing work.

9. Click Submit.

DIRECTSUBMIT - SHARED AND PRIVATE FOLDERS

DirectSubmit shared folders are viewable by anyone with access to the “DirectSubmit” tool through your

course. With shared folders, multiple lecturers can view submissions related to a course.

LANGUAGE SUPPORT IN SAFEASSIGN

SAFEASSIGN SUPPORTS ENGLISH-BASED LANGUAGES

SafeAssign does more than translate words from one language to another. SafeAssign uses algorithms

that make decisions about potential plagiarism based on word frequency, sentence structure, and other

linguistic characteristics that are specific to the English language.


HOW TO USE SAFEASSIGN IN YOUR ASSESSMENTS (THE BASICS)

SafeAssign can be used as a plagiarism tool for any individual assessment that has a significant

written element.

1. Select Assessments form the main edit tabs;

2. Select Assignment;

3. Enter Name of Assessment;

4. Upload an necessary files;

5. Enter due date;

6. Expand Submission Details. (Figure 1)

6.1. Select “Check submissions for plagiarism using SafeAssign”;

6.2. Optionally, select one or both options:

6.2.1. Allow students to view the SafeAssign originality reports on their

submissions.

6.2.2. Exclude all student submissions for this assignment from the institutional

or global reference databases.

7. Expand Grading Options;

7.1. Optionally select the marking methods relevant to qualification;

7.1.1. Enable anonymous marking;

7.1.2. Enable delegated marking;

8. Expand Display of Grades and complete as necessary;

9. Enter dates for displaying assessment;

10. Click Submit to complete.

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