Success Story
How Oakland University Used Copyleaks to Transform Plagiarism Detection into a Learning Tool
The Challenge:
Establishing an Integrity Infrastructure for Online Growth
As Oakland University expanded its online presence in 2019, it faced a critical gap: the total absence of internal resources for plagiarism detection. To build a competitive edge in the online market, the university needed to overcome faculty skepticism regarding the integrity of automated tools while finding a sophisticated solution that could integrate seamlessly with their Moodle platform. Oakland required a user-friendly system that would streamline the transition for writing-intensive departments while maintaining rigorous security and accessibility standards.
The Solution:
Copyleaks Integration with Moodle LMS
By implementing Copyleaks through their existing Moodle LMS, Oakland University successfully established a centralized, secure infrastructure for academic integrity. This transition provided faculty with a highly intuitive interface and military-grade security, while shifting the campus culture from simple policing to an educational focus through interactive similarity reports. Beyond standard detection, the partnership future-proofed the university’s strategy with the 2023 launch of the Copyleaks AI Detector and ongoing, rapid support from a dedicated Customer Success Team.
Background
Oakland University is one of fifteen public universities in Michigan, offering 132 bachelor’s degree programs and 138 professional graduate certificate, master’s degree, and doctoral degree programs, with a total enrollment of nearly 20,000 students. The main academic units are the School of Engineering and Computer Science, the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Nursing, the School of Business Administration, the School of Education and Human Services, the School of Health Sciences, and the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.
The Process
Daniel A. Arnold, Ph.D., Manager of Support Services at Oakland, initiated an organic search to identify potential plagiarism detection software, eventually forming a committee to evaluate the top selections. Using vendor-supplied demos, the committee prioritized the user interface and ease of use for faculty and students, while also weighing cost-effectiveness, functionality, security, and accessibility. After narrowing the field to three finalists, Copyleaks and a leading competitor emerged as the top scorers. To finalize the decision, staff surveys were conducted to align key feature requirements with the platform offerings. Copyleaks ultimately outperformed its competition by meeting more RFP criteria, including military-grade security and superior LMS integration, while providing a more intuitive interface for sharing results. Beyond the initial vetting, Copyleaks’ Customer Success Team became a decisive selling point due to their rapid turnaround and exceptional support during the onboarding process.
The Impact
Oakland University partnered with Copyleaks in June 2020, filling a critical gap as the COVID-19 pandemic shifted global education online. In the absence of a previous solution, the university measured impact through newfound educational gains and evolving pedagogical discussions. As the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning integrated the platform into workshops, the conversation shifted from “policing” to using Copyleaks as a constructive learning tool—a transition supported by an intuitive interface that helps address accidental plagiarism. Faculty particularly valued the comprehensive Similarity Reports, which identify paraphrasing and identical text while providing clear source lists for citations. Ultimately, the ability to share these reports directly with students proved to be the most significant benefit, transforming the software into a resource for academic growth and an enhanced learning journey.
We’ve seen more concern about AI, and we were able to say, ‘Yes, there is something in place for that..It makes Copyleaks the starting place of how to start having those conversations with faculty, such as ‘What does this mean for my students?’ and understanding how AI content is coming into play in their courses.
Looking Forward
Following the release of ChatGPT in 2023, Oakland University faculty voiced growing concerns regarding the impact of generative AI on academic integrity, a challenge Copyleaks addressed by being first to market with its AI Detector in January of that year. This timely rollout provided an essential foundation for faculty to navigate how AI-generated content affects their courses and students.
Beyond mere detection, Copyleaks assists educators in interpreting AI data and implementing effective strategies to manage its use within the classroom. By offering these tools, the platform facilitates critical conversations on the role of AI in academia, helping faculty address common questions and maintain high standards of original work.