ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot: that is, an app you can have a conversation with. It runs on, and provides access to, a “large language model”: basically a library of text patterns intended to mimic the linguistic working of a human brain in a specific language (in this case, English).

You can have a free-wheeling conversation with ChatGPT, but what really has people talking is that you can give it a “prompt” asking for a text composition with any number of specific characteristics — length, topic, structure, style — and it will return you that very composition.

You don’t have to know anything about the topic or structure or style to get useful results. And ChatGPT doesn’t know anything in its own right about any topics — that’s not the kind of AI it is. It only repeats what it’s read on the internet. But it will repeat it as a new composition rather than as a quote (unless you ask it for quotes, and it might be making those up).

The opportunity for someone to have ChatGPT (or similar tools) compose text which they then pass off as their own is obvious. It isn’t straightforward plagiarism, or exactly a matter of hiring someone to write your paper. It’s potentially like hiring someone to plagiarize for you with such sophistication that it might never be detected as plagiarism.

Fortunately, Turnitin has already come to our rescue. The company, which is founded on plagiarism detection, recognized that tools like ChatGPT are creating text which presents some of the same problems as plagiarism but which can’t be detected as such. So Turnitin has built its own AI to detect AI writing.

The company rolled out the new features on 4 April 2023 in basically all of its services, including the one which we have built into our Canvas LMS. And every sample submitted to it since that date is automatically being checked for possibly having been written by an AI.

Professors don’t need to do anything to activate it (and can’t opt out, except by not using Turnitin). But AI Writing Detection works a little differently from the prior Similarity Report. The major difference is that it is only available to professors and administrators. In other words, when a student looks at the similarity report for their own work, they will not and cannot see the AI writing detection report. A professor will for the same work, but not in Canvas. To see the AI writing detection report requires clicking through the similarity report icon for the student’s submission to enter the Turnitin environment.

Click on the percentage Similarity Icon in the Canvas Speedgrader using Turnitin.  Then you will see a AI icon in the lower right corner representing the percentage of AI content flagged by Turnitin.

The reason for the difference is because of the difference in what Turnitin is doing with AI writing detection. With the similarity report, Turnitin finds actual verbatim instances of pieces of text from a new submission in a prior submission or out on the internet. The only question is whether these similarities rise to the level of plagiarism.

Turnitin’s AI writing detection involves another AI evaluating a submission for the likelihood that it was written by an AI. The AI returns a percentage likelihood, something between 0 and 100%, and Turnitin’s confidence in that percentage is 98%. In other words, Turnitin is 98% confident that whatever likelihood its AI assigns to the writing having been done by another AI is accurate. But that leaves room for false positives (and negatives!) so it’s important that the likelihood only be reported to the professor and for the professor to then decide whether and how to handle the situation.

Turnitin has great further information and discussion available through its blog post announcing the release of its AI Writing Detection.

Note: To set the default for any New Recordings look at the following:

If you do not want students to have to put in a password to access your recordings, you can do so by going into your Zoom settings and setting the ‘Require password to access shared cloud recordings’ to ‘Off’. You can access this setting at https://jccc.zoom.us/profile/setting?tab=recording

We have a new “How to” guide with more detail and screen shots.

How to: Control Password Protection by Default for Zoom Cloud Recordings

Note: To change existing recordings to no longer require a password look at the following:

1. Look for Recordings tab on the left side of the screen.
2. For each recording listed there will be a Share or More option on the right (click share)
3. Change the password protect option to the off position.
4. Close the window.

If you don’t know how to find the password that has already been put on a recording – you can find it in the ‘Share’ settings in your recordings list, as shown here:

So–if you’ve been muting grades, know that the new terminology is to Hide Grades. It follows then that Unmute grades is now Post Grades. Confused yet? Check out this short video on making this work and the new options you have–such as changing the default instead of the painstaking process of muting 45 columns.

The Windows 10 Operating System will soon be upgraded to the latest release by Microsoft.  This update will allow for Information Services to implement Software as a Service (SaaS) and provide future updates in a more efficient manner.

This update also includes great new features for your Windows 10 device, including enhanced security, enhanced functionality in Microsoft Edge, and the availability of a new feature called “Timeline”.

View New Features

Windows 10 (version 1803) will:

• Strengthen integration with O365 cloud (to include easier connection to OneDrive)
• Lower infrastructure and support costs

Project Plan & Timeline

The upgrade to will occur in four separate user groups:

• Voluntary/Self-ServiceUpgrades (Began in May)
• Early Adopters (Pre-defined cross-functional group- 10% of total systems) May 7th

• • We have worked in collaboration with functional areas across the organization to identify a cross-sectional group of computing systems. This group of individuals are aware that they are part of this group and will receive future updates prior to the larger roll-out to the remainder of the college.

• Remaining office systems – Beginning July 17 continuing through August 15

• • The remaining office use systems that have not been upgraded through the Voluntary/Self-Service option or are participating in the Early Adopter group will begin the automated upgrade process to the latest version of Windows.

• Labs and Classrooms

• • Labs/Classrooms not already upgraded, will be upgraded between the Summer and Fall semesters or later depending on courses and requirements for individual labs and classrooms.

The Upgrade Process and What to Expect 

• General Information
  • The estimated time to upgrade to the SaaS release of Windows 10 is approximately 30-60 minutes.
  • Be sure to save all documents and close applications before beginning the installation process.
  • It is VERY IMPORTANT to leave your computer on until the installation has completed.
  • JCCC computing device must be on campus and connected to the JCCC network via a wired network connection.
  • New versions & features will be released every 6 months.
• Voluntary/Self-Service Option-Available beginning May, 2018
  • Self-service provides a just-in-time option for those that would like early access and the flexibility to schedule the install that is at a time convenient to you.
  • Instructions for Voluntary/Self-Service are available view instructions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I have a software application that is dependent on a specific version of Microsoft Windows?
Please notify the Technical Support Center (x4357, techsupport@jccc.edu, submit an online request)

Will I need to re-configure my preferences or other settings after the upgrade?
Your preferences should be maintained throughout the upgrade process.

Do I need to leave my computer on to receive the software?
Yes, your computer will need to be powered on.  If you select the installation from the Software Center, your installation will begin immediately.  For overnight installations, your computer will need to be left on and locked overnight.

How much time is required to upgrade my computer?
Plan on the upgrade taking 30-60 minutes as it uninstalls all previous versions so you have a fresh install of the software with your preferences intact.  During your install, your computer will restart several times.

Do I have to be present for the installation?
You do not need to be present for your Windows installation.

How can I tell if I need this upgrade?
If you are currently running any version of Windows 10 less than 1803 you will need this upgrade. You can see what version of Windows 10 you are running by typing winver and pressing Enter in the search window located in the lower left-hand corner of your desktop.

The locally installed desktop Microsoft applications will soon be upgraded to the latest version.  You will recognize the same suite of Office products, yet with more integration with the O365 cloud offerings.  The application suite being upgraded includes:

• Outlook email (including Calendaring and Tasks)
• OneDrive cloud storage
• Skype for Business collaboration
• Productivity tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.

How is Office 365 for your Desktop Different?

The suite of Microsoft Office tools will look very similar to your currently installed Office suite however the delivery is moving to a Software as a Service (SaaS) model providing the college access to the latest software releases, on time, and on demand.

Individually, you will find many opportunities to benefit from the updated version to include:

• Strengthened integration with O365 cloud (to include easier connection to OneDrive)
• Improved security
• Feature enhancements available as they are released
• Support/training improvements through delivery of standard versioning
• Lower infrastructure and support costs

Over the next few months, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the additional capabilities through open lab times and training sessions offered by JCCC Staff Development.

Project Plan & Timeline

The upgrade to Office will occur in three separate user groups:

• Voluntary/Self-Service Upgrades, Beginning April 2, 2018 
• Early Adopters (Pre-defined cross-functional group- 10% of total systems), May 22, 2018    We have worked in collaboration with functional areas across the organization to identify a cross-sectional group of computing systems. This group of individuals are aware that they are part of this group and will receive future updates prior to the larger roll-out to the remainder of the college
• Balance of Users and Workstations (90%), June 22, 2018 

Office 365 Training Resources

Get the most out of Office 365 with over 130 new content experiences including video training, Quick Start guides, templates, infographics, cheat sheets, and more. Visit: aka.ms/learn365. Familiarization sessions and in-depth training will be available through JCCC Staff & Organizational Development.

The following dates will be class times available for faculty and staff to learn about the new features and familiarize themselves with the software. To register, please use the CRN listed and follow the directions, found here.

The Upgrade Process and What to Expect (Mac & PC users)

• General Information
  • The estimated time to upgrade to the SaaS release of the Office Suite is approximately 30-60 minutes.
  • Be sure to save all documents and close applications before beginning the installation process.
  • It is VERY IMPORTANT to leave your computer on until the installation has completed.
  • During the upgrade your computer will need to restart multiple times – if you have an encrypted device (laptop or Surface) you will need to be present during the installation to enter your encryption password for each restart during the installation process.
  • JCCC computing device must be on campus and connected to the JCCC network via a wired network connection<
  • New features will be released every 6 months
• Voluntary/Self-Service Option-Available beginning April 2, 2018 (excludes shared computers)
  • Self-service provides a just-in-time option for those that would like early access and the flexibility to schedule the install that is at a time convenient to you.
  • Instructions for Voluntary/Self-Service are available for both PC and Mac (view instructions)
• Early Adopters (Pre-defined cross-functional systems 10%), beginning May 22, 2018
  • This group of individuals are aware that they are part of this group and will receive future updates prior to the larger roll-out to the remainder of the college.
  • Eligible for Voluntary/Self-Service option prior to May 22 – systems that have not been upgraded by May 22 will be automatically upgraded to the latest version of Office
• Balance of Remaining systems – Beginning June 22, 2018 – end of July
  • The remaining office use systems that have not been upgraded through the Voluntary/Self-Service option or are participating in the Early Adopter group will begin the automated upgrade process to the latest version of Microsoft Office.
• Labs and Classrooms
  • Labs/Classrooms not already upgraded, will be upgraded between the 2018 Spring and Summer semesters or later depending on courses and requirements for individual labs and classrooms.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I have a software application that is dependent on a specific version of Microsoft Office?
Please notify the Technical Support Center (x4357, techsupport@jccc.edu, submit an online request)

Will I need to re-configure my office preferences or other settings after the upgrade?
Your preferences should be maintained throughout the upgrade process.

There are two items to watch for:

• Your Recent Files list will be cleared
• You may need to reconfigure your signature block to be appended to each message.

Will I be able to work with MS Office during the upgrade?
No, all office applications will need to be closed during the upgrade.

Do I need to leave my computer on to receive the software?
Yes, your computer will need to be powered on.  If you select the installation from the Software Center, your installation will begin immediately.  For overnight installations, your computer will need to be left on and locked overnight.

How much time is required to upgrade my computer?
Plan on the upgrade taking 30-60 minutes as it uninstalls all previous versions so you have a fresh install of the software with your preferences intact.  During your install, your computer will restart several times.

Do I have to be present for the installation?
You do not need to be present for your Office 365 installation unless you have a mobile device (Surface or laptop). Mobile devices are encrypted and may require you to enter your encryption password following each system restart.