Kim,
I agree that the site looked extremely dodgy but it could be even worse than it first seems. If I wanted to set up a cheat site and get some free essays (that probably haven't been added to the Turnitin knowledge base), then I would probably set up a 'free' service like this that allowed me to harvest essays and check originality at the same time.
Frances Bell,
Learning Technology Fellow for Faculty of Business, Law and the Built Environment
Salford Business School,
University of Salford, M5 4WT
http://www.business.salford.ac.uk/staff/francesbell <http://www.business.salford.ac.uk/staff/francesbell>
LT Fellow blog at http://www.edu.salford.ac.uk/blogs/blbe/ <http://www.edu.salford.ac.uk/blogs/blbe/>
Personal blog at http://francesbell.com <http://francesbell.com/>
Co-Editor, ALT-J Research in Learning Technology http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/09687769.asp <http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/09687769.asp>
Feed to recently published articles http://www.informaworld.com/ampp/rss~content=t713605628 <http://www.informaworld.com/ampp/rss~content=t713605628>
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From: learning development in higher education network on behalf of Kim Shahabudin
Sent: Tue 05/05/2009 13:30
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: On-line plagiarism software
I'd personally be very very wary of suggesting that students use this kind of program on a self-help basis to check their work. Apart from encouraging false assumptions about the reliability of such tools, the danger is that they will see it as a substitute for understanding what plagiarism is and learning how to actually avoid it. (I think using them in a mediated session is a different matter - they can be used as learning tools then.)
Kathy - I appreciate you haven't had time to check out this particular website but I had a quick look and it rang alarm bells all over the shop - at one point it suggests that a good way to write a paper if you're short of time is to buy one from an essay writing service and rearrange it a bit - because you're guaranteed that anything you buy will be written for you so will be plagiarism-free. (10 out of 10 for logic, I guess, but....)
Kim
________________________________
Dr Kim Shahabudin, Study Adviser & LearnHigher Research Officer
Room 107, Carrington Building, Whiteknights, University of Reading, RG6 6UA| ( 0118 378 4218|
: www.reading.ac.uk/studyadvice : www.learnhigher.ac.uk <http://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/>
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From: learning development in higher education network on behalf of Kathy Cininas
Sent: Tue 05/05/2009 12:53
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: On-line plagiarism software
Haven't had chance to check it out, but we have found this:
http://www.plagiarismdetect.com/
Kathy Cininas
Learning Centre Facilitator
BCA, Hall Place, Burchetts Green, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 6QR
Direct line - 01628 827495
www.bca.ac.uk
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