Submitting an assignment from Google drive or Dropbox

You can now submit assignments to Turnitin from the "cloud" services Google Drive and/or Dropbox.

Both of these services allow you to store documents via the internet, meaning that they are then accessible from any computer, providing there is an active internet connection available.

Google Drive:

Google Drive and Google Docs are services that form part of the Google Apps for Education Suite. All registered students and staff have a Google account, meaning they will also have access to Google Drive and Google Docs. (Google drive is the main app which contain Google Docs).

It is important to note that, as these Google Apps are part of the users account, CICS can provide user support and guidance if any problems are encountered.

For information on setting up Google Drive please click here

Dropbox:

Dropbox is another popular "cloud" service, and Turnitin also allows you to upload work using this service. However, it is important to consider that Dropbox is not specifically supported by the University and there are risks associated with using the desktop version of this for saving work on student computers. (The desktop version is required for upload to Turnitin). These are:

 Dropbox is not intended for shared computers and your dropbox folder is deleted when you log out.

 If a new or updated file has not synchronised before you log out, there is no copy saved. Therefore, if you use the Dropbox desktop version you must manually sync your files before you log out.

 In addition you will have to relink your Dropbox folder each time you login to a student computer.

For more information on using dropbox please click here

University of Sheffield. Learning Technologies Team. [email protected]

How to submit an assignment from Google drive or Dropbox

These instructions presume that you already know how to submit a document from your PC into Turnitin. If you do not know how to do this, please click here

1. Click "view/complete".

2. On the right hand side of the screen click the blue submit button.

3. Select the single file upload option if not already selected. Your first and last name should be filled in automatically.

4. Add a submission title for your assignment. Please note:

 The file size should be under 20mb. If your document is over this amount you may need to consider splitting the document into smaller sections. You should discuss doing this with your module tutor.

 Make sure that if your file size is large, that you have compressed any images or charts.

 Commonly used accepted file types are: MS Word, PDF, RTF,TXT and HTML.

 If you are uploading via Dropbox or Google Drive you must still adhere to the above accepted file types.

5. You will then be presented with three options: a) Choose from this computer, b) Choose from Dropbox and c) Choose from Google Drive .

6. Click either Google Drive or Dropbox

University of Sheffield. Learning Technologies Team. [email protected]

For Google Drive:

 If you click Google Drive, you will be presented with a list of file locations on the left hand side. You can click on these to find your file.  Please note that you cannot upload the following: Forms, Folders or Spreadsheets.  Once you have located your file, In the main centre portion of the screen, click "select" on the document you require.  Click the blue button titled Upload.

For DropBox:

 If you click Dropbox, you will be presented simply with your Dropbox folder.  Navigate to your submission through your folder list.  Click the blue button"Choose" on the document you require.  Click the blue button titled Upload.

7. In both cases, in the screen that follows, check that your happy it is the correct document, then click submit.

8. When the assignment has been successfully submitted, you will see the following message.

Make a note of you unique paper ID that appears, for future reference.

University of Sheffield. Learning Technologies Team. [email protected]