Using Turnitin as a Formative Assessment Tool to Support Academic Writing

One of the aims of using Turnitin as a formative assessment tool centres on trying to shift habits of practice in respect of developing academic writing. The use of Turnitin is promoted as a means of shifting practice, for students and tutors, by challenging existing habits in respect of academic writing. Therefore we have investigated Turnitin as a support for the development of new approaches to engaging students with their writing. A significant aspect that emerged in our research was use of the software to promote its developmental advantages, and to shift student perceptions away from plagiarism detection toward supporting and developing their academic writing skills. Also we found that the lack of understanding about the implications of originality and similarity reports has meant a need to engage in more discussion around student writing development, their responsibility for that writing and how the tool enables opportunities for formative feedback. In these respects it is useful to consider the use of Turnitin as a means to question particular habits of practice and develop a more student-focused tool to support and enhance academic writing skills. This presentation shows how we have worked as a team to encourage staff and students to use Turnitin as a formative tool to support academic writing. We will review and synthesise our data from the fellowship staff development series’ seminars and suggest practical and innovative ways to inspire staff and students in the use of Turnitin.