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SafeAssign FAQs

Can I allow multiple attempts for assignments that use SafeAssign?

Yes. SafeAssign reports on multiple attempts for one assignment. If more than one attempt is allowed, the report includes attachments for all attempts. SafeAssign recognizes each new attempt as originating from the same student for the same assignment, so it doesn't check the new attempt against content in previous attempts.

Can I create group assignments using SafeAssign?

Yes. SafeAssign can report on group assignments. Submitting group members appear in the report. The report is linked to each individual student when viewing in the Grade Center.

I forgot to enable SafeAssign before students began to submit work. Can I still enable SafeAssign?

Yes, but existing submissions won't be analyzed. SafeAssign analyzes submissions received only when it is enabled. If students submit work while SafeAssign is disabled, the submissions won't be processed or checked for originality. Submissions received while SafeAssign is enabled will be processed and checked.

To check the unprocessed submissions with SafeAssign, download the existing submissions, compress them as a ZIP file, and upload the ZIP file to DirectSubmit. SafeAssign generates Originality Reports for the submissions.

What happens when I delete a submission in an assessment using SafeAssign?

If you delete a student's submission and the same student resubmits the identical paper, SafeAssign processes the paper and recognizes the previous submission as the same student's. SafeAssign doesn't recognize this as a match and ignores it in the Originality Report. This behavior applies for assessments with single attempts and multiple attempts.

When a student's submission is deleted, the content remains in the database and can be used to detect future matches for other student submissions. If a different student submits work matching a deleted submission, a Non-existent paper is listed as a source in the Originality Report. SafeAssign detects a match, but you can't open the source to compare matches because the source has been deleted.

You can choose to exclude submissions from the database entirely or for part of the assessment if you prefer to submit only "final" submissions to the database.

Important

If you want to exclude student submissions from the Institutional and Global Reference Databases, you must select Exclude submissions from the Institutional and Global Reference Databases before students submit their work. You can't remove work from the databases that was submitted before you selected the exclude option.

What happens when I restore a course with SafeAssign submissions?

SafeAssign stores a copy of each submitted paper in its own cloud database, while the original file also remains in Blackboard. SafeAssign maintains a link between the submission and its course, assignment, and student information.

However, originality report data is not included in course archive packages and cannot be restored automatically. When a course is restored, the connection between a submission and its originality report may be broken, especially if parts of the course (such as assignments or users) were deleted before the archive was made. Manual synchronization can only re-establish links if all the original data still exists in Blackboard. If any part of the original submission context is missing, synchronization will not recover the originality report in the restored course.

Example:

  1. In week 1, a student submits to an assignment with SafeAssign enabled.

  2. At the end of the course, the instructor archives the course and deletes the course, assignment, or submission.

  3. Later, the instructor restores the course using the course archive package.

From SafeAssign's perspective, the link between the course, assignment, or submission and the underlying paper has been broken due to the instructor's actions in step 2. Therefore, in the restored course, the instructor can't view the SafeAssign Originality Report for the submission. To restore the link between the SafeAssign data and the course/assignment/submission, select Synchronize Course.

Has the process for submitting assignments changed?

No changes were made to the student process for submitting assignments with SafeAssign enabled.

Can I use anonymous and delegated grading with SafeAssign?

Yes. When anonymous grading is enabled, graders are unable to view SafeAssign information. When grading is complete, the plagiarism detection is run. You can follow up with any students who might have issues and modify grades, if necessary.

Does SafeAssign work elsewhere in Blackboard, such as in Self & Peer Assessment, forums, or Content Collections?

Not at this time.