#AskTurnitin: Month-Long Q&A with the Turnitin Team on Navigating AI in Teaching and Learning

Thu Nov 20 - Sat Dec 20

Event by Turnitin Official

Are you curious about how AI detection can support trust, integrity, and student authorship in your classroom? Or maybe you want to explore practical strategies for navigating AI responsibly in teaching?

Join #AskTurnitin with Turnitin team members Patti West-Smith and Gailene Nelson as they discuss how educators can approach AI in the classroom with balance and insight.

Explore how thoughtful use of AI detection and Turnitin tools can support academic integrity, empower educator judgment, and enhance the learning experience.

Meet our team:

Patti West-Smith – Senior Director of Global Customer Engagement at Turnitin
Gailene Nelson – Senior Director of Product Management at Turnitin

How it works:

#AskTurnitin will be open in TEN for 30 days, giving you plenty of time to post your questions and join the discussion. Patti and Gailene will be checking in regularly to respond and share their insights.

Ask about:

How to discuss AI and authorship with students
When AI detection is most helpful—or most challenging
Balancing innovation and integrity in AI-enabled learning
How to interpret AI detection results ethically
What support or resources would make AI detection more meaningful for your context

#AskTurnitin Guidelines:

Be respectful: Treat all participants with kindness and professionalism.
Stay on topic: Questions should relate to AI detection, teaching strategies, and classroom experiences.
No product support requests: Technical or account issues should be directed to Turnitin Support.
Avoid sensitive personal info: Do not share personally identifiable information about yourself, your institution, or students.
Engage constructively: Share insights, ask thoughtful questions, and build on others’ contributions.

Helpful resources to support your participation:

Start the conversation:

Reply to this post with your questions, and Patti and Gailene will jump in with their insights. Let’s connect, share experiences, and learn from each other as we explore the role of AI in education!

- Patti_WestSmith
- 15 hrs ago
- Official response
- Reported - view
Hi everyone, Patti here—welcome to our month-long #AskTurnitin conversation!

To kick things off, I’d love to highlight a thoughtful piece on LinkedIn written by our CPO, Annie Chechitelli: “AI Detection Is Imperfect—And Should Be.” If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a great read and sets the stage for why this discussion matters so much right now. Annie reminds us that detection isn’t about perfection; it’s about giving educators insight, context, and confidence as they navigate authorship in an AI era.

With that in mind, Gailene and I are here all month to talk openly about how you’re approaching AI with your students, what challenges you’re facing, and how tools like AI detection can support integrity and student learning without getting in the way of the teaching moment.

We can't wait to hear from you! Drop your thoughts or questions below—big or small. We’re excited to learn from you and support your conversations about responsible, balanced AI use over the next 30 days.
- Online Community Manager
- kat_turnitin
- 18 hrs ago
- Official response
- Reported - view
Hello TEN Community

Welcome to our very first #AskTurnitin. If you’ve got questions for and about AI in education, this is the place to ask! Can’t wait to see what you’re curious about!
- Online Community Manager
- kat_turnitin
- 15 hrs ago
- Official response
- Reported - view
I also want to give a quick shoutout to! who earned the Top Contributor badge!

Your thoughtful contributions truly make our TEN community better, and we’d love for you to take part in this conversation
- Aboli_Karnik
- 5 hrs ago
- Reported - view
This year, even when students write original work, AI still shows 50% accuracy. However, it is possible to obtain a false positive. How can we demonstrate that the work is the student's original work? Educator is the best judge. It is the educators' description because they know the students are fine, but how can we justify giving the same answer to all students?
- Gailene_Nelson
  
  34 min ago
  
  Reported - view
  You are correct - the educator is the best judge. Your knowledge of the student's voice, writing habits and context of the assignment is the most reliable form of assessment.
  
  AI tools primarily look for patterns, sentence structure and vocabulary choices common to large language models (LLMs), and a student's original work can sometimes mimic the output of an LLM. Additionally, built-in AI-powered features within Grammarly, MS Word, Google Docs, etc. that "refine" or "improve" text are also widely used by students during the editing process. These tools can introduce AI-generated text in ways that may not be obvious to users. Considering these points, detectors should be used to provide instructors with data signals, but they should never be used over professional judgment.
- Gailene_Nelson
- 1 hr ago
- Reported - view
Hi everyone! Gailene here—jumping in with a product perspective as we continue our #AskTurnitin conversation.

One thing I see often in my role is how educators are trying to balance trust, student agency, and the realities of AI, all while interpreting detection insights in a way that supports learning rather than policing. Something Annie’s article touches on (and that we think about constantly on the product team) is this idea: AI detection isn’t meant to be a verdict—it’s meant to be a signal. A starting point for a conversation, not the end of one.

With that in mind, I’d love to hear from you all! Your feedback genuinely influences what we prioritize, so anything you share helps us make these tools more meaningful and supportive for real teaching moments.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!