Category: Turnitin

Releasing Feedback and Marks

Turnitin will release feedback and marks to students automatically on the Feedback Release Date that was entered when the assignment was set-up:

screen image showing the date fields in the Turnitin Assignment set up

In the above example this will be on the 21st March 2023 at 2pm.

However, there may be an occasion where you have marked all submissions and would like to release the feedback and marks earlier. It is not possible to only release feedback and marks to certain students, it is either all or none.

To release the feedback and marks earlier than the originally intended date and time, navigate to the Turnitin Assignment Inbox and select the settings cog:

screen image highlighting the settings cog in a Turnitin Assignment inbox

From the Assignment settings screen, change the Feedback Release Date to the date and time you would like the feedback and mark to be released, e.g. 03rd March 2023 at 2pm:

screen image sgowing the date filelds in Turnitin Assignment set up with the Feedback release date changed.

If you navigate to your Turnitin Assignment Inbox via the Blackboard Gradebook, you may notice in the Markable Items list view, a Post Marks option on the same row as the Turnitin Assignment:

screen image showing Blackboard's gradebook view with the Post Marks emphasised.

Selecting to Post Marks will release the marks given to each student for their assignment, however, if the Feedback Release Date has not been reached then students will not be able to view their feedback.

Therefore, please ensure if you wish to release the feedback and marks early for students, do this via the Turnitin Assignment Inbox settings and editing the Feedback Release Date rather than posting the marks from Blackboard’s Gradebook.

Locating a student’s submission

If a student has submitted their assignment to the incorrect Turnitin Assignment, but on the correct Blackboard site, Turnitin no longer allows you to click on a student’s name to view which other Turnitin submission points the student has submitted work in.

Instead, you can check via Blackboard’s Gradebook.

To do this, select Gradebook from the relevant Blackboard site:

screen image showing the gradebook link in Blackboard Ultra

Select Student to list all students in your Blackboard site:

screen image showing the list and students option in gradebook

Click on the student’s name to view what and where they have submitted:

screen image showing the student's name in list view in gradebook

This will open a new page about the student and will tell you what the student has submitted and where – this includes all forms of submission such as online tests, Turnitin submissions, Blackboard Assignment submissions, journal entries (if being accessed), discussion board entries (if being accessed):

screen image displaying the filtered student and where they have submitted or accessed assignments.

Restoring Deleted Content

Introduction

Whilst we all try to minimise the number of accidental deletions that can occur across the Learning Platform Suite, we accept that it does happen. Recommended best practice is to avoid deleting items where possible until you have checked whether:
a) it is necessary (could the item be hidden instead?)
b) it impacts other items (if deleting a folder, are you clear that everything inside it will be deleted too?)
c) it is agreed at a wider level (have the module/course team or Leader been consulted?)

The TEL Team can often recover deleted items, however it is not a guarantee and should not be treated as such. Listed below are a few examples which include what to expect and what to include in your request for restoring content to the IT Service Desk. Each request may take up to 5 days to complete, though faster will always be aimed for where possible (note: where raised with a third-party, such as Turnitin, the request may take longer to fulfill).

Blackboard – Content Item/Folder Deleted

If an item or folder (not containing Turnitin Assignments, see below section) has been deleted, the TEL Team are able restore from archives that are generated on a daily basis (in most cases and for a module in the current academic year) and which are only kept for 30 days at a time. Please consider first if the item can be re-uploaded, for example if it was a file, which would be quicker. If not, then please include the following in an email to the IT Service Desk:
Blackboard Module Name (e.g. 2022-23 (Advent) Biology 101)
Name and original location of the item/folder deleted

The TEL Team will restore a version of the module as a separate site and then copy the item over. If it is not clear what item needs copying, or if multiple items need copying, the requestor will be added as the sole enrollee on the site and asked to review/copy for themselves. Once complete, the requestor should confirm that the separate site is no longer needed and the TEL Team will remove it from the live system.

Turnitin – Submission/Paper Deleted

If a submission/paper is deleted from Turnitin, the TEL Team are able to request a restoration from Turnitin’s own support team. So long as a submission has gone into Turnitin’s wider database, Turnitin Support are able to retrieve it and re-add it to the relevant Turnitin Assignment from where it was deleted.

Please include the following in an email to the IT Service Desk:
Blackboard Module Name (e.g. 2022-23 (Advent) Biology 101)
Turnitin Assignment Name (e.g. Final Submission – Assessment 1)
Student Name

Submissions that have been marked will restore with their mark and feedback.
The TEL Team will liaise with Turnitin Support to have the submission restored as soon as possible.

Turnitin – Assignment Deleted

If a whole Turnitin Assignment is deleted (including all of the submissions to it), this can be trickier so our recommendation is not to delete Assignments unless there is a need. If this does happen, the TEL Team are able to request a restoration from Turnitin’s own support team by way of ‘moving’ the papers.

Assignments cannot be re-added as they were, so to facilitate this the TEL Team will need to create a new Assignment into which the deleted papers will be moved to by Turnitin Support. Once created, the TEL Team will ask the requestor if a rubric had been used on the original Assignment and, if so, ask that the same one be attached to the newly created Assignment*; if the same rubric is not attached and was used for marking previously, rubric scores will be lost when the papers are moved.

Please include the following in an email to the IT Service Desk:
Blackboard Module Name (e.g. 2022-23 (Advent) Biology 101)
Turnitin Assignment Name (e.g. Final Submission – Assessment 1)

* Note: the TEL Team do not have access to rubrics as they belong to individuals. It is the responsibility of the requestor to attach the rubric to the new Assignment or co-ordinate the rubric owner doing so. If the wrong rubric, or no rubric, is attached and approved to go ahead with the move, neither the TEL Team nor Turnitin Support will be able to retrieve the previous rubric scores on the papers.

How to set-up a Turnitin Assignment in Blackboard Original using the newer standard of integration called LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability)

All modules and courses created prior to 2022/23 have the Blackboard ‘Original’ look-and-feel and used an older version of Turnitin called the “Blackboard Basic Building Block”. This method of setting up Turnitin Assignments was no longer possible from late October 2022.

If you need to set up Turnitin Assignments (submission points) in Blackboard ‘Original’ modules and courses for trail and progress students or where the module or course has a longer period of study, the new Turnitin LTI version is available to use on the Blackboard ‘Original’ modules and courses and can be set up in the following way:

  • Within your Original Blackboard site navigate to the Assessments area and relevant sub-folder
  • Select Build Content and from the drop-down menu select Turnitin [2022-23 onwards]
screen image showing the new LTI Turnitin option in Original Blackboard

You can now follow the guidance given from Step 4 for setting up Turnitin Assignments in Blackboard Ultra, (this will open in a new window). Once the Assignment has been built there are a couple of additional steps required, see below.

Additional Steps

Once the Turnitin Submission point has been created there are a couple of additional steps required please see below or view this short (01:05mins) screencast : New Turnitin on Old (Original) Blackboard setup extras

  • Adaptive Release
  • Visibility to students
screen image showing a new Turnitin submission point on an Original Blackboard

To remove the Adaptive Release simply use the drop-down option next to the title of the submission point and select Adaptive Release and remove the tick from the Display after date field and then select Submit.

screen image showing the check box next to the Display After date field

To ensure that students do not have an early visibility of their marks or feedback, select the drop-down next to the tile of the submission point and select Edit. Ensure the Visibility to Students is set to No and then select Submit.

screen image highlighting the visibility to students check which needs to be set to no

To double check that the marks and feedback will not be released by Blackboard early open the Full Grade Centre and check that the column heading has the column not visible to students symbol next to it:

screen image showing the not visible to students symbol

Once the Feedback Release date has passed, the student will be able to access their feedback and mark by selecting the submission point and viewing their submission. It will not appear in the students Marks screen until the column is made visible to students via the Full Grade Centre.

Deleting a Marking Grid / Rubric from the Turnitin library

Marking Grids / Rubrics need to be imported into your Turnitin Rubric Manager before they can be attached to a Turnitin Assignment. Once attached these cannot later be deleted from your Rubric Manager library, unless they are first ‘detached’ from the Turnitin Assignment.

NOTE: If you or another marker has already marked any submission against the existing attached Rubric or linked feedback/bubble comments to any criteria against the existing Rubric this will be lost when you detach it from the Turnitin Assignment.

However, if the Rubric has not been attached to an Assignment it can be deleted from your Turnitin Rubric Manager library.

  • Navigate to any Turnitin Assignment inbox
  • Select the ‘cog’ settings icon from the top right-hand corner
screen image highlighting the settings cog in a Turnitin Assignment inbox

  • Select Optional Settings
screen image showing the optional settings icon
  • Scroll down the page a little way and select Launch Rubric Manager
  • If this is not visible then select the check box next to Attach a rubric
screen image showing where the launch rubric manager is

  • This opens the Rubric Manager
screen image of the rubric manager window displaying the menu drop-down

  • Select the menu icon from the top left-hand corner to see the lists of marking grids / rubric already existing in your library
  • Click on the name of the rubric you wish to delete so that it is displayed in the rubric manager window
  • Select the menu icon again, if the delete this rubric option is greyed out (as in the above image) then you are unable to delete it because it is attached to a Turnitin Assignment
  • If the delete this rubric option is not greyed out (as in the image below) then select this
screen image showing the delete this rubric option available from the rubric manager

  • A further window will open, select Yes if you are sure that you wish to delete this rubric from your Rubric Manager
screen image showing the are you sure window
  • Closing the Rubric Manager window returns you back to the Turnitin Assignment settings, scroll to the bottom of this screen and select Submit

Attaching a Marking Grid / Rubric to a Turnitin Assignment

There are two ways to attach a marking grid to a Turnitin Assignment:

  1. When setting up a Turnitin submission point, or after set-up but before students submit any scripts: Attaching a marking grid to an empty Turnitin Assignment
  2. Or once students have submitted to a Turnitin submission point via Feedback Studio: Marking grid for Turnitin in Ultra

Downloading Submissions from Turnitin

To download and archive papers from a Turnitin Assignment (submission point), navigate and open the necessary Turnitin Assignment Inbox.

If you wish to only download specific submissions, select the check box next to the Author(s) name, if you wish to download all submissions, select the check box next to the title Author column heading.

Next select Download All to view the drop-down menu:

Screen image of the Assignment Inbox with Download ALl selected to view the drop-down menu.

Downloading Original Submissions

  • Select Original Files from the drop-down menu.
  • A ZIP file will download to your downloads area of your PC.

Downloading Submissions with e-Feedback

  • Select GradeMark PDF’s from the drop-down menu.
  • A message will appear informing you that this might take a little while and that a notifications message will appear when ready:
Screen image of the bulk download message that appears

  • After a little while return to the Assignment Inbox
  • A small red dot should appear next to the Notifications icon:
screen image of the notifications icon in a Turnitin Assignment inbox

  • Select the Notification icon to view the message.
  • Click on the message to expand it:
screen image of the notifications message in Turnitin

  • Select the .ZIP link within the message
  • The ZIP file will download to your downloads area of your PC.

Check the Downloaded Submissions

Note: please ensure you check a few of the files once downloaded to ensure that the operation has completed successfully.

If you need to download submissions to a Turnitin Assignment (pre October 2022) from an Original Blackboard please contact a member of the TEL Team or visit one of our Lunchtime Surgeries (Monday to Friday between 1 and 2pm).

Turnitin Feedback and Marks

This section describes the types of feedback that can be added using Turnitin and contains advice for markers as a set of important considerations before adding feedback to students’ work using Turnitin. These include selecting the types of Turnitin feedback to use and managing the release of feedback to students in the context of the standardised University Turnitin set-up, the need to download and archive feedback for retention purposes and some limitations and risks involved in using Turnitin for feedback.

If you are new to providing feedback through Turnitin we would recommend that you start with the Important Considerations before adding Feedback section.

Adding Feedback and Marks to Turnitin submissions

A number of feedback options are available in Turnitin depending on the needs of the assessment. Below are a list of links to the different types of feedback and how to add them to a paper that you have opened for marking.

Access the relevant Turnitin Assignment and open the submission you wish to add feedback and mark: Accessing submissions to add feedback

Instructor Tour of Feedback Studio

Commenting Tools

Turnitin supports the following types of feedback. More about each one and technical instruction can be found on Turnitin’s own Commenting Tools page for Instructors:

* Note: voice comments are limited to 3 minutes and cannot be downloaded/archived. Please speak to your School’s Digital Academic Developer before planning to use this feature.

Rubrics and Grading Forms

Turnitin also supports Rubrics (scorecards) for all types of assessment, as well as Grading Forms for types where students might not be making an actual submission per se (e.g. to assess a form of performance). See the Rubrics and Grading Forms page and associated sections for more information.