Tell us about your company and the problem it solves, or its benefit to learners or educators.
From the start, Turnitin’s founders were interested in understanding how to improve student learning. The original idea was rooted in peer review feedback, and our founders noticed that as the internet made information more accessible, it also made “copy-paste” plagiarism a reality. Plagiarism detection was our original product, and one that’s still relevant today.
With more than 25 years of experience working closely with educators, every product we build addresses the needs of today’s learning settings. And when the world shifted with the introduction of generative AI, we, too, pivoted to adapt to the new challenge that genAI created.
Detection was where we needed to start, but our core driver of protecting the learning process remains at the center of all we do. That means we have evolved our solutions to focus on transparency, helping educators see how and why students are using AI. We are giving instructors the opportunity to try, test and adjust how AI can be used in students’ assignments.
And, as importantly, we support preventing the use of AI when it’s not appropriate – like in high stakes exam environments.
Fundamentally, we believe in the potential of AI to be a powerful catalyst in learning and reinforcing a positive educator-student relationship. We believe this because we know that when students are rewarded in the process of learning, they are put in the position to do their best, original work.
What is the challenge educators face today that is fixable?
I’m an optimist, so I see lots of challenges as fixable. The one we’re most focused on right now is the idea of formative assessment without the heavy workload that it is often associated with. From our discussions with educators, we know this is the most valuable means of truly assessing where a student is in their learning journey, shifting the focus from grading to growing. Summative assessments have become the standard, and we have valuable tools for grading and feedback, but what we’re most excited about is our new solution, Turnitin Clarity, that provides a transparent composition space and an AI assistant with guardrails. Educators get visibility into the writing process to see that learning is happening, and students get access to an AI assistant to support–but not replace–their work.
What is a challenge educators face today that will persist?
The most persistent challenge in education is the uncomfortable reality of academic dishonesty, an issue rooted in human nature that technology has only amplified. Because no institution wants to admit to a ‘cheating problem,’ it remains a silent epidemic that is difficult to address with honest, systemic solutions. To move forward, we must stop treating integrity as a given and start redesigning education to be ‘cheat-proof’ by valuing the messy, human process of learning over a perfect final grade.
What areas of education or professional learning are being overlooked?
For all the talk about AI literacy, we see first hand through our trainings with educators that we are in the early days of true AI skills and understanding. There are the extremes: the educators who are all in, using it daily, vibe coding solutions for themselves, and the opposite, those who don’t understand it and/or want it banned. The real need is to work with all educators, to ensure they are clear on what AI tools have value, what they can and can’t offer, and most importantly, how the students are using the tools. But tool proficiency is not mastery. Once there is baseline knowledge, that is where the opportunity comes for the educator to apply critical judgment to ensure AI deepens learning and critical thinking and doesn’t replace it.
What challenge do you foresee in education over the next three to five years?
If we’re honest, there is more than one. That said, I believe the greatest challenge is for institutions to move beyond the distraction of new tools and stay focused on the enduring, irreplaceable value of an education and the educational experience. At a time where information is instant and automated, we need to demonstrate that a degree is more than just a collection of facts and skills, it represents the development of a human character, a disciplined mind and a sense of ethical responsibility. The opportunity is to double down on the learning environment as a sanctuary for deep focus, mentorship and the messy, collaborative growth that no algorithm can provide.