Transformative experiences through game based activities: reducing anxieties about plagiarism prevention software in postgraduate research students.

This paper discusses an intervention designed to address reported anxieties of postgraduate research students who are now required to submit their theses for analysis by Turnitin. A training session was provided, in which practical information was disseminated and a card game based simulation allowed participants to experience key aspects of the decision making process their examiner will use to interpret the Turnitin report for their work. This allowed students to appreciate that their assessor will consider the report in considerable detail, applying their own academic judgement rather than relying on software to make a binary pass/fail decision.
Transformative experiences, or micro-transformations, are small scale changes in a learner’s perception as a result of classroom interventions. (Pugh, 2004) This activity is designed to facilitate such a micro-transformation by prompting students to re-evaluate the validity of their pre-conceptions concerning Turnitin.
In voting episodes at the beginning and end of the session, most participants reported that their nervousness about submitting their work to Turnitin had reduced, suggesting that such a change in perspective has occurred.