Blackboard Academic Suite 8 Integrates Plagiarism Prevention

Blackboard has released version 8 of the Blackboard Academic Suite 8. The latest release of the learning management system for academic institutions adds a variety of enhancements driven in large part by feedback from the user community, including improvements for administrators and IT, student self- and peer assessments, improved grading features, and the integration of Blackboard's SafeAssign, a plagiarism detection and prevention service.

SafeAssign debuted back in August as a stand-alone tool for plagiarism detection, but it's now integrated directly with the Academic Suite. SafeAssign checks assignments against databases of published articles and also scans the Internet for materials that might have been plagiarized. The databases the system uses include:

  • ProQuest ABI/Inform database, which includes more than 2.6 million articles and is updated weekly;
  • Archives of papers submitted to SafeAssign by users; and
  • Global Reference Database of papers submitted by students and faculty.

Other new features in the Academic Suite include:

  • Enhanced Grade Center with analytics and a new user interface, as well as direct e-mail capabilities and the ability to generate progress reports;
  • New "Self and Peer" assessment tool that allows students to review and grade their own work and the work of their peers; and
  • Enhancements to the Content System (for creating and sharing content) that include reporting on content usage and a new collaborative workflow.

Blackboard Academic Suite 8 is available now with support for browsers running on Mac OS X and Windows. Prices vary. See Blackboard's site for information on licensing.

More Information:

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • illustration of a futuristic building labeled "AI & Innovation," featuring circuit board patterns and an AI brain motif, surrounded by geometric trees and a simplified sky

    Cal Poly Pomona Launches AI and Innovation Center

    In an effort to advance AI innovation, foster community engagement, and prepare students for careers in STEM fields and business, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona has teamed up with AI, cloud, and advisory services provider Avanade to launch a new Avanade AI & Innovation Center.

  •  black graduation cap with a glowing blue AI brain circuit symbol on top

    Report: AI Is a Must for Modern Learners

    A new report from VitalSource identifies a growing demand among learners for AI tools, declaring that "AI isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must."

  • glowing shield hovers above a digital cloud platform with abstract data streams and cloud icons in the background

    Google to Acquire Cloud Security Firm Wiz

    Google has announced it will acquire cloud security startup Wiz. If completed, the acquisition — an all-cash deal valued at $32 billion — would mark the largest in Google's history.

  • digital dashboard featuring a shield icon, graphs, a world map, and network nodes

    IBM Introduces Agentic AI Governance and Security Platform

    IBM has launched a new software stack for enterprise IT teams tasked with managing the complex governance and security challenges posed by autonomous AI systems.