Step 2 - Enabling Turnitin for a lesson or site

There are two methods for adding Turnitin in Sakai. You can enable Turnitin for use on a site-level or on a per lesson basis.

  • Turnitin assignment to a lesson: Creates an area where all Turnitin assignments can be viewed together for optimum use (recommended).
  • Assignment level: Turnitin will simply be an extra option along with standard Sakai assignments.

The following steps can be completed by the Sakai admin or anyone with Instructor level access to the worksite.

Enabling Turnitin for a lesson

Sakai's Lessons can allow for Turnitin to be used multiple times within the same site. The lesson will contain all of your Turnitin assignments grouped together in one place. Firstly, we must enable the Lessons functionality for the worksite.

  1. Navigate to the Site Info section of the worksite you'd like to use Lessons with.

  2. From the Site Info page, select the Manage Tools tab.

  3. Using the list of available tools, find the Lessons option in the General section. Select the relevant checkbox, and then use the Continue button at the bottom of the list.

  4. Give your lesson a unique name that will identify it as the place to go to use Turnitin. We'd recommend something generic like 'Turnitin Assignments'. Select the Continue button once you've chosen a title.

  5. You'll be asked to confirm the addition of the lesson. If everything looks good, select the Finish button.

  6. You're all done! The Lesson will now appear in the list of tools available for the site in the left-hand navigation.

Adding a Turnitin Assignment to a lesson

  1. Navigate to the Lessons section of the worksite you would like to add Turnitin to.

    If you followed the previous part of this guide, this will be titled Turnitin Assignments.

  2.  Select the Add Content + button, and choose Add Learning App from the Simple Content Items section.

  3. A Turnitin option will be shown in the available options. Your administrator will have chosen an identifiable name for it, such as Turnitin LTI 1.3.

  4. A modal will appear with the LTI 1.3 configuration screen. If you've used Turnitin LTI before, this will be very familiar. If this is your first time using Turnitin, we have extensive guidance on what all of the different settings mean in dedicated guides. If you're just interested in the core settings, you can edit them now. Select Optional Settings to tailor the assignment to specifically meet any learning goals you may have.

    After initial creation, the Title, Instructions, and Max Grade fields will be locked when accessing the assignment. To edit these fields, you'll need to edit them within Sakai itself. If you make any changes in the future, these will be automatically updated in Turnitin.

  5. Congratulations! You've successfully created an assignment and you can now use it immediately with your students.

Adding Turnitin at the Assignment level

  1. Start to create your Sakai assignment as you usually would. The title and description you use will be inherited by Turnitin.

    The Open Date (Start Date), Due Date, and Max Grade will automatically be applied from Turnitin.

  2. Once you're at the Submission Type option, change it to External Tool (LTI).

  3. From the External Tool section that appears, use the Select External Tool (LTI) button.

  4. If Turnitin is the only LTI app configured, you'll be shown the LTI configuration screen.

    If your institution uses multiple LTI apps, you'll be shown a list of available options. Choose the one titled Turnitin LTI 1.3 (Or whatever your administrator named the integration).

  5. Configure Turnitin to meet the needs of the assignment. You can view our guidance on the core settings, and the optional settings if anything is unclear. Use the Submit button once you're finished.

    The Open Date (Start Date), Due Date, and Max Grade will automatically be applied from Turnitin.

  6. You'll be asked if you'd like to update the title of the Sakai assignment to match the title you gave in Turnitin. Use the Ok button to confirm, or the Cancel button to keep them separate.

  7. Use the Post button to finalize the assignment creation.

  8. You're all done! If you need to edit the Turnitin assignment, open it and select the Go to External Tool button. Then open the Turnitin settings using the gear icon. The Title, Assignment Instructions, and Due Date of the assignment can only be changed within Sakai itself.

    Editing the assignment's settings and using the Select External Tool button again will create an entirely new Turnitin assignment. Do not use this method to edit the Turnitin assignment.