Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ)
Northumbria Learning has been working with the Joint Council of Qualifications (JCQ) over the last year and is now entering the implementation phase of a new scheme with the JCQ in conjunction with the Association of Colleges.
The study will assess the potential of a preventative approach to plagiarism through the use of detection software and associated activity. Ten colleges are taking part in the trial.
The study will evaluate the use of plagiarism detection software in the context of the pilot colleges, looking at the use of detection software in the specific context of GCSE and A level awards and the benefits for staff and students of incorporating detection software in a holistic approach to plagiarism in a further education setting.
The study will provide a template for this approach that will be applicable across the sector, evaluating the impact of the approach from the perspectives of both examining centres and awarding bodies and establishing benchmarks of practice for the sector.
The JCQ are concerned at the considerable recent public debate regarding the authenticity of coursework being submitted as part of the examinations process.
The work currently in progress, includes a series of projects that introduce piloting of different methods for detecting and identifying work that is either plagiarised or has been previously submitted. These pilots will help reduce the potential to use and re-use work produced by other people.
Northumbria Learning is running the pilots, which will incorporate the use of plagiarism detection software Turnitin.