Does SafeAssign Detect AI? What Blackboard Users Need to Know

Blackboard is one of the most popular learning management systems (LMS) out today.

It provides a centralized platform for everyone in an institution to access course materials, submit assignments, and track their progress. 

It’s not just faculty that love this system – nearly seven out of ten students prefer online or hybrid learning models over fully in-person classes.

However, submitting assignments on Blackboard can sometimes feel stressful. 

AI detection is one of the major concerns for students. AI and education together have been controversial yet beneficial, making learning more efficient and interactive.

SafeAssign is a powerful plagiarism detection tool integrated directly into Blackboard.

But does SafeAssign detect AI? We’ll answer that here.

Here’s our guide to the SafeAssign checker and how you can use this tool effectively – whether you’re a student checking that you’re compliant or a teacher upholding fair practices.

What Is SafeAssign? How Does It Work?

As mentioned, SafeAssign is Blackboard’s built-in plagiarism detection tool.

It compares student submissions against a large database of internet sources, previous submissions, academic papers, and student work.

All of these combined make it a highly effective plagiarism detection tool.

Plagiarism is taken seriously in academic settings and can lead to severe consequences.

SafeAssign is an important tool in promoting honesty and helping students learn the importance of proper attribution.

With that said, can Blackboard detect cheating? In a way, yes – Blackboard has several tools to help educators maintain academic integrity.

Aside from SafeAssign, Blackboard has features like Lockdown Browsers, which prevent students from navigating to other websites for answers.

There are also Timed Assessments, which limit how long students have to complete their work.

It also offers Randomization to make sure that each student receives a unique version of the test.

How Much Does It Cost?

The best part about SafeAssign? It’s free to use for Blackboard users.

As part of Blackboard’s LMS package, there’s no extra fee to access this plagiarism detection tool.

Both students and educators can use it to review assignments, compare them to a vast database of sources, and generate originality reports.

As long as your institution uses Blackboard, you have SafeAssign ready to go without any additional costs.

Can SafeAssign Detect AI Writing?

While SafeAssign is excellent at spotting plagiarism, AI-generated content is a totally different story.

Popular AI models like ChatGPT create original text that doesn’t aim to plagiarize existing material. It means that SafeAssign often gives AI-written work a pass when it comes to originality.

The challenge here is that plagiarism detection tools analyze text for matches, but they don’t grasp the context or meaning behind the words. In short, these tools lack an understanding of context. 

AI doesn’t need to copy from sources because it can generate original content based on prompts. This makes it difficult for tools like SafeAssign to flag AI-generated text accurately.

How Does SafeAssign Detect Plagiarism?

Much like Grammarly vs Turnitin, SafeAssign is another plagiarism detector worth checking out.

When you submit an assignment, SafeAssign scans the document for matches and generates a report highlighting similar content.

The report will include a percentage score that indicates how much of the text overlaps with other sources.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what the SafeAssign checker scores mean:

• Below 15%: Probably includes quotes or common phrases.
• 15–40%: May contain extensive paraphrasing, quoted material, or potential plagiarism.
• Over 40%: High probability of significant copying.

Educators can review these matches in context.

As shown by the breakdown, not all highlighted text is plagiarism, as it may include properly cited quotes, common phrases, or idiomatic expressions.

Instructors make judgment calls about whether the work is plagiarized or properly referenced.

Depending on the settings, students can also access their reports to improve their citations before final submission.

And once their work has been submitted, students can opt to include their work in SafeAssign’s database to contribute to maintaining academic integrity.

SafeAssign Key Features

Citing sources can be tricky for various reasons. Students often struggle with varying citation formats, tracking sources, and avoiding unintentional plagiarism.

SafeAssign can be useful for both detection and educating when it comes to citing sources. Let’s take a look further at its features:

Plagiarism Detection

SafeAssign’s unique algorithm detects matches across a broad database, ensuring thorough checks. Students can then contribute to the Global Reference Database, further strengthening the system.

Teachers can choose to share reports with students, enabling them to learn from their mistakes and refine their citation skills.

Some instructors allow draft submissions, letting students identify citation issues and refine their work before final grading.

AI Detection Limitations

It’s important to note that SafeAssign, like most plagiarism detectors, doesn’t specifically identify AI content.

AI plagiarism happens when students use tools to create entirely original but non-human-generated text. It’s challenging for systems like SafeAssign, which focus on identifying matches to existing content.

Some AI models are so advanced they can even mimic a student’s writing style.

It makes it even harder for both instructors and detection tools to differentiate between human and AI-generated work.

For educators concerned about whether their students abuse the use of AI, detecting it may require additional tools specifically designed for AI content analysis.

As AI technology evolves rapidly, plagiarism detection tools must adapt to keep up.

SafeAssign Quick Overview

SafeAssign remains a very reliable plagiarism detection tool, especially for institutions already using Blackboard.

Its ability to scan extensive databases and provide detailed reports maintains integrity within the academic community.

While it doesn’t detect AI-generated content yet, it continues to support students and educators in understanding proper attribution and ethical writing practices.

For those relying on Blackboard, SafeAssign is a valuable resource that offers both practical and educational benefits at no extra cost.

Who Should Use SafeAssign on Blackboard?

SafeAssign is designed for both students and educators.

Students can use it to check their work for plagiarism before submitting assignments. It helps them catch mistakes and improve their citation skills.

Meanwhile, educators can rely on SafeAssign to review submissions and identify unoriginal content, making it easier to maintain fair and honest grading practices.

Whether you’re writing essays, research papers, or any assignment requiring outside sources, SafeAssign is a must-have tool for anyone in the academic field.  

How to Use SafeAssign Effectively on Blackboard

Using SafeAssign on Blackboard is pretty straightforward. Here’s how to make the most of it.

1. Start on the Create Assignment Page: Begin by creating an assignment on Blackboard. This is where you’ll set up SafeAssign.
2. Enable SafeAssign: Under the Submission Details section, select the option to “Check submissions for plagiarism using SafeAssign.”
3. Customize Settings: Optionally, you can allow students to view their originality reports so they can learn from their mistakes. You can also choose to exclude submissions for this assignment from being added to the Global or Institutional Reference Databases, which store the students’ works.
4. Finish Setting Up the Assignment: Complete the rest of the assignment settings, such as due dates and grading options.
5. Save Your Changes: Click Submit to finalize the assignment.

You can enable the SafeAssign originality report at any time.

However, only submissions made after SafeAssign is enabled will be checked. Submissions received before enabling it won’t be analyzed. 

If you’re an instructor, we recommend that you let your students review their reports whenever possible, as this is a great learning opportunity.

Top Alternatives to SafeAssign for AI Detection

While it’s definitely possible for some people to identify AI-generated responses on their own or with some content expertise, AI detection tools can streamline this whole process – and they’re much more reliable.

AI detectors work by identifying patterns that suggest AI-generated text, saving you time and reducing uncertainty. Here are the top alternatives to consider:

Undetectable AI

Undetectable AI is more than just an effective AI detector – it’s also a tool for humanizing machine-generated text. Try it out now in the widget below!

Rated #1 AI Detector by Forbes

It refines content to keep it authentic, which is helpful for students who want to maximize the quality of their work with responsible AI use.

With support for over 30 languages, Undetectable caters to a global audience.

Undetectable AI has been featured in well-known outlets like Forbes, Business Insider, and Nature, reflecting its innovation and trustworthiness.

It’s particularly useful for creating credible content while ensuring it doesn’t raise any red flags for the leading AI detection systems.

Originality AI

Originality AI is a powerful tool that’s designed specifically for detecting AI-generated text and plagiarism.

It specializes in identifying content created by popular models like ChatGPT, Bard, and others.

This tool’s intuitive interface makes it easy for educators, writers, and editors to quickly scan documents for authenticity.

It’s a solid go-to option for those looking to maintain integrity in both educational and professional writing.

GPTZero

Another leading AI detection tool praised for its precision and accessibility is GPTZero.

It uses deep learning algorithms to detect stylistic patterns and structural markers typical of AI-generated text.

This tool is especially popular for high-volume content creation because of its ability to process a lot of content quickly.

Content creators often rely on GPTZero to confirm the originality of any written work, from essays and research papers to other written assignments and even articles. 

Turnitin with AI Detection

Turnitin, long known for its plagiarism detection capabilities within institutions, has expanded its platform to include AI detection.

This dual-purpose tool provides educators with insights into both copied and machine-generated content in a single report.

Its integration into a variety of LMS makes it a convenient option for schools and colleges.

Turnitin’s user-friendly reports help instructors quickly identify unoriginal content and understand its source.

Copyleaks 

Copyleaks is a versatile enterprise solution that, aside from AI detection, also provides detailed similarity reports, breaking down whether the text is paraphrased, rephrased, or fully unique.

This feature makes it particularly valuable for educators and businesses managing sensitive or high-stakes documents.

Copyleaks also supports integrations with popular LMS platforms, streamlining the process of checking academic submissions for AI content.

SafeAssign on Blackboard: Final Thoughts

The SafeAssign checker is an excellent tool for detecting plagiarism and promoting academic honesty.

It’s a reliable feature for educators and students using Blackboard, offering clear insights into content originality. 

However, as AI tools become more advanced, pairing SafeAssign with a robust AI detector is essential for well-rounded content analysis.

Tools like Undetectable AI are perfect companions to SafeAssign.

Not only can Undetectable detect AI-generated text, but they also humanize it, ensuring your work passes the strictest checks.

This gives you, as a writer, confidence that AI is being used responsibly.

With tools like these, you can stay ahead – keeping your submissions original and your evaluations thorough. Try Undetectable AI for free here.