Turnitin launches Clarity to bolster academic integrity with AI

Turnitin has announced the general release of Turnitin Clarity, a writing solution intended to support academic integrity and responsible AI use in education.

Turnitin Clarity has been developed to offer both educators and students a digital environment in which students can write, revise, and reflect, with the option to use an integrated AI assistant, while educators have full visibility into the writing process, assessment, and engagement workflows.

Response to sector challenges

Turnitin Clarity is our response to a defining challenge in education, how to uphold academic integrity and embrace the responsible use of AI. In an AI-powered world, we need more than detection, we need solutions that promote learning, invite dialogue, and equip educators and students to use AI ethically and confidently. That's why we built Turnitin Clarity.

This statement was made by Annie Chechitelli, Chief Product Officer at Turnitin, highlighting the company's aim to address issues of integrity and responsible technology use.

Features of Turnitin Clarity

The tool incorporates a range of features designed to help both students and educators. Students are provided with an AI assistant that offers support at various stages of the writing process, helping to reinforce structure, originality, and the ethical use of generative AI. Educators gain access to transparency tools, such as revision timelines, summaries of AI chat histories, and indicators distinguishing between pasted and typed text. These features are combined with integrated academic integrity solutions that include similarity checking, AI writing detection, and consolidated submission metrics within a single platform.

Turnitin Clarity also provides fast and personalised feedback to students, intended to increase engagement and make feedback a standard part of the learning journey.

James Thorley, Regional Vice President for Asia-Pacific at Turnitin, commented on the increasing importance of equipping the education sector for AI's integration.

As development and adoption of AI throughout society grows, we must provide the education sector with the necessary capabilities to understand and leverage these solutions. Turnitin Clarity creates a flexible, transparent, and controlled environment for students to use AI without it detracting from their learning. It also empowers educators to better evaluate integrity and appropriate AI-use, while improving engagement with students. The resulting understanding of the responsible use of AI will equip both educators and students with the confidence to maintain integrity, while cultivating meaningful and practical learning outcomes.

Integration with Feedback Studio

The launch of Turnitin Clarity comes alongside updates to Turnitin Feedback Studio, which now features a modernised interface, enhanced similarity reports, integrated AI writing detection, and more flexible feedback workflows. The improvements are designed to support educators in efficiently delivering feedback, and to accommodate a wider range of assignment types, including handwritten and AI-assisted work.

According to Turnitin, the combined use of Feedback Studio and Turnitin Clarity is intended to shift the academic integrity conversation from one focussed primarily on misconduct to one oriented towards skills development. The solutions aim to provide opportunities for educators to transform instances of plagiarism or inappropriate AI use into productive learning experiences, assisting students in developing their writing, research, and critical thinking.

Sector perceptions and survey findings

Recent global research conducted by Turnitin and Vanson Bourne found that 78 per cent of students, educators, and administrators surveyed felt positively about AI's impact on education. Despite this optimism, 95 per cent expressed concerns about the potential misuse of AI. The leading challenge cited by respondents was ensuring integrity in an evolving educational landscape. The research suggests that transparency and workflow insight are key to balancing the benefits of AI with the necessity of maintaining academic standards.

Availability

Turnitin Clarity is available to customers as an added feature to Turnitin Feedback Studio. The company states that the solution is designed as a response to the dual demand for transparency in writing and responsible AI literacy, aiming to help educators and students navigate the increasing integration of artificial intelligence in their work.