Teaching)Tools)and)Tips:))SafeAssign
By#Diane#Burr,#Instructional#Design#Team#
Introduction#
Are$you$looking$for$a$more$efficient$way$to$identify$plagiarism$in$your$courses?$$
SafeAssign$is$a$tool$in$Blackboard$that$can$assist$you$with$this$task.$$Not$only$can$
SafeAssign$work$for$you,$it$can$work$for$your$students$as$well.$$Students$can$
submit$drafts$to$this$service$and$get$an$analysis$of$their$work.$$$SafeAssign$is$a$
building$block$in$Blackboard$that$is$easily$interfaced$into$any$assignment.$$$
What#is#SafeAssign?#
SafeAssign$is$a$tool$that$is$part$of$the$Blackboard$Learning$Management$System$
(Bb).$$In$the$new$Bb$update,$you$now$can$very$simply$make$any$assignment$a$
SafeAssign$by$$choosing$the$assignment$feature$in$Bb$and$then$selecting$
SafeAssign$as$your$choice$in$Submission$Details/Plagiarism$Tools.$$The$screen$
shot$below$details$this$option.$
$
What#Can#SafeAssign#Do?#
As$noted$above,$SafeAssign$is$a$plagiarismHchecking$tool.$$All$materials$
submitted$to$SafeAssign$are$checked$against$several$databases.$$Key$to$VCSU$is$
the$fact$that$the$submitted$documents$are$also$compared$against$all$institutional$
documents$submitted$to$this$service.$$So$if$you$are$worried$about$students$
sharing$papers,$this$tool$will$certainly$help$you$address$the$issue$of$collusion$
with$your$students.$
Perhaps$even$more$important$is$the$use$of$this$tool$as$an$educational$service$for$
your$students.$$This$tool$will$help$you$create$learning$opportunities$for$your$
students.$$By$selecting$“Allow$students$to$view$SafeAssign$originality$report$for$
their$attempts”,$students$can$become$more$proactive$in$being$sure$they$have$
properly$cited$their$sources.$$Therefore,$this$tool$reaches$beyond$the$use$as$a$
deterrent$and$can$be$used$as$an$educational$tool$as$well.$
Grade#Center#Integration#
When$you$create$a$SafeAssignment,$the$assignment$is$automatically$associated$
with$your$grade$book.$$There$is$no$need$to$create$a$manual$column.$$Unlike$$
SafeAssign’s$integration$in$the$past,$the$new$Bb$upgrade$allows$you$to$view$the$
Originality$Report$and$use$the$inline$grading$annotation$right$within$the$grade$
book.$$If$you$want$to$use$the$inline$grading$function$with$your$SafeAssignments,$
be$sure$to$have$students$submit$in$DOC,$DOCX,$or$PDF$file$formats.$
!
How#to#Create#a#SafeAssignment#
1.$$Be$sure$that$SafeAssign$is$selected$in$Course$Tools$
2.$$Select$Assignment$in$the$Assessment$Tab$
3.$$Create$your$assignment$and$then$be$sure$to$open$the$Submission$Details$link.$$
Here$you$should$also$make$your$choices$in$regard$to$the$plagiarism$tools$(see$
Figure$1).$
Conclusion#
Overall$this$is$an$outstanding$tool$to$help$prevent$plagiarism,$but$even$more$
importantly$it$helps$our$students$as$an$educational$tool!$$For$any$assistance,$
please$contact$a$member$of$the$Instructional$Design$Team.$$