For a time, it seemed like cheating on your coursework had become easier than ever. Of course, you'd never cut corners when it comes to your education, but surely you're aware of other students who grab a handful of sources off the internet and simply stitch them together into papers? Or maybe you know someone who has downloaded an entire essay and passed it off as their own.
Those days are in retreat at the moment. New AI programs like SafeAssign have given faculty and administrators powerful tools for identifying plagiarism and other forms of cheating. For those worried about the precipitous rise in cheating at US colleges and universities over the last several years, this is good news.
If you've been falsely accused, you may not be such a big fan of SafeAssign. An academic misconduct charge like plagiarism can lead to serious consequences, including probation, suspension, and dismissal, and when it's an AI that's accusing you, it can be hard to defend yourself.
If you're facing a charge of academic misconduct over a SafeAssign allegation or for any other reason, don't try to handle the situation yourself. It's no easy task explaining yourself to a professor, let alone defending yourself as part of a formal investigation. You need a Lento Law Firm attorney in your corner, protecting your rights and safeguarding your interests. Our Student Defense Team has helped hundreds of students just like you. We know your school's judicial system, and we're familiar with exactly what can go wrong with SafeAssign.
The moment you're accused, call 888-535-3686 to find out how we can help, or take time right now and tell us about your case.
What is SafeAssign
SafeAssign touts itself as a "plagiarism detection" program. Using sophisticated algorithms, it compares student work with online material and essay databases to discover instances of inappropriate text borrowing, i.e., "plagiarism."
In the digital age, where we're constantly trading ideas and text, where you can always find an answer to a question somewhere in the dark recesses of the web, SafeAssign has become the go-to tool for faculty looking to catch cheaters. Any school that uses BlackBoard has access to the SafeAssign platform, and professors routinely require students run their work through the program before they turn it in.
The AI generates a report explaining exactly which words and phrases in a given paper or essay seem suspicious and explaining why.
When SafeAssign Goes Wrong
No AI tool is foolproof. That should be obvious. Maybe you've had the experience of dealing with a hallucinating chatbot or getting Amazon recommendations for products that aren't relevant to you. No surprise, then, that things can sometimes go wrong with SafeAssign.
Simple, but common example: An English instructor asks her class to write a paper analyzing Hamlet's famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy. It's tough to do that without quoting that soliloquy and even including the same quotations over and over. SafeAssign is necessarily going to flag everyone's paper.
More broadly, it's never as easy as SafeAssign suggests to differentiate source material from original ideas. There are often gray areas. In addition, SafeAssign settings can be complicated, and if an instructor doesn't adjust them appropriately, the program can sometimes be over-sensitive about what counts as plagiarism.
Yes,the program is effective, and ideally instructors are supposed to check the AI's findings themselves to verify plagiarism. Take a look at your professors' desks next time you're in their offices though, and ask yourself whether they have time to back check an AI.
What Do You Do If You're Accused?
The real question is, what do you do if you should find yourself accused because of a SafeAssign report?
Academic misconduct isn't a minor offense. At a minimum, you can expect a lower assignment grade, but sanctions can also include course failure, probation, suspension, and even dismissal. Plus, even if you're only given a warning, if that warning should show up on your transcript, it can play havoc with your academic career. You could lose scholarships, internships, and graduate school opportunities. A record of plagiarism could even cost you a job once you've graduated.
However, colleges and universities can't simply charge you with plagiarism and impose a punishment. Just like in the real world, you are entitled to due process. Virtually all school policies grant accused students the right to a presumption of innocence ("not responsible"). That means the school has the burden of proving to a "preponderance of the evidence" that you committed the offense. Otherwise, you can't be found "responsible" (guilty).
Campus justice can be tricky to navigate, though. While you have a number of important rights, you have to know how to use them appropriately if they're going to help you avoid a responsible outcome. Do you know how much information your school is required to give you about the allegation against you? Are you clear on what does and doesn't count as evidence in an academic misconduct case? Your Lento Law Firm attorney is, and they make sure you're prepared for whatever you have to face.
Responding to a Charge.
Of course, the best way to avoid an AI-based plagiarism charge is to avoid AI-based plagiarism. Use programs only as they were intended. Limit just how much you use them. And always keep the goal in mind: you're not after grades; you're after a genuine education.
That said, if you're facing an allegation, there are some things you can do to maximize your chances of a successful defense.
- Stay calm. Overreacting can often make the situation worse. Take all allegations seriously, but trust in the process to clear you of charges.
- Save everything associated with the case, including all of your work. In fact, it's a good idea these days to hold on to all of your coursework. You can never tell when an essay you wrote may be exactly what you need to prove your academic abilities and refute a charge.
- Most importantly, contact the Lento Law Firm as soon as possible. The issues related to AI cheating and plagiarism can be difficult to unravel, and you're going to need all the help you can get to work your way through your school's judicial processes.
The Lento Law Firm has helped hundreds of students defend themselves from college and university charges. We can help you to do the same. Call 888-535-3686 today, or take time right now to fill out our online form.
