A Top Alternative to Turnitin: Skidmore College Chooses Compilatio
Located in New York, Skidmore College is a private residential liberal arts college. True to its motto, “Creative Thought Matters,” the college encourages its students to develop creative thinking while cultivating strong analytical skills.
- From the American plagiarism-detection tool Turnitin to Compilatio:
Aaron KENDALL tells the story.
He is an Instructional Designer at Skidmore College and, in 2025, led a study on an alternative tool to help teachers evaluate student work and students learn effective writing practices.
Why did Skidmore College consider an alternative to Turnitin?
User Experience
Integrating the U.S.-based solution with the Brightspace LMS was not always intuitive for teachers, which sometimes made it difficult to use on a daily basis.
Quality and Readability of Reports
The reports generated could be perceived as too dense and difficult to interpret, with scores that were sometimes considered lacking in transparency.
Cost Trends
Regular rate increases have also raised questions about the long-term viability of the solution.
Data Protection and Security
The fact that this organization does not guarantee the confidentiality of students’ work has raised ethical concerns.
Issues and Challenges Involved in Switching to New AI or Plagiarism Detection Software
- Maintain a high level of reliability in detecting plagiarism and AI
- Improving the User Experience
- Meeting Data Security Requirements
- Controlling Our Costs
- Ensure a smooth transition for the teaching staff.
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The choice of a European player with a strong commitment to education and people
Faced with these challenges, Skidmore College evaluated several alternatives to Turnitin for detecting plagiarism and AI. We were looking for a more cost-effective tool that could integrate with our learning management system (LMS) and meet our privacy and security requirements.
Identification of Specific Needs
The institution has defined several key criteria:
- effectiveness in detecting similarities
- ergonomics for teachers and students
- educational aspect of the solution
- Compatibility with existing tools, particularly the LMS
- Privacy and Data Protection
- Stable and transparent prices
Comparative Analysis of Several Solutions
We reviewed several providers, comparing their ease of use, integration with Brightspace, the clarity of their reports, their data policies, and their overall suitability for a small liberal arts college environment.
Help
These steps can be made easier with the comprehensive guide “How
to Choose the Best Plagiarism Detection Solution for Your Institution.”
Genuine expertise from our Compilatio sales consultant
Aurélie Verrier demonstrated a deep understanding of our challenges and provided us with a comprehensive, customized presentation to address our technical, educational, and organizational questions.
Key Factors in Choosing Compilatio
Several factors convinced Skidmore College:
- after-sales support
- the personalized support offered
- The Pedagogical Approach to Academic Integrity
- Transparency and documentation regarding data processing
- the ability to integrate into the institution’s digital environment
Rigorous, ongoing deployment and monitoring, even after the sale
The rollout of Compilatio at Skidmore College proceeded quickly, smoothly, and efficiently, thanks to the following steps:
- Training materials for faculties, customized by Compilatio directly within the D2L learning platform (the usual workspace for teaching teams)
- Onboarding training for Compilatio administrators, live with our support specialist
- Training session to support teachers in the transition to the new tool.
- Regular follow-ups with our account manager at various points throughout the subscription period to gauge adoption and address emerging needs.
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Turnitin operates as a major provider. Compilatio’s model, which is more modest and focused on education, seems more user-friendly and service-oriented.
Aaron KENDALL
Instructional Designer at Skidmore College
Tangible Benefits
Teachers feel more comfortable interpreting similarity relationships and using them in their interactions with students.
Improvements to the user experience have reduced the challenges faced by teachers, making it easier for them to adopt the tool and use it regularly.
Greater transparency in data processing has boosted teachers’ confidence.
In short: a winning change!
The experience at Skidmore College shows that:
- A European solution like Compilatio can offer a reliable and educational alternative to the traditional tools on the market,
- Switching to a different plagiarism detection tool can be an opportunity to improve the experience for instructors, the transparency of analyses, and the educational support related to academic integrity.
“I encourage other U.S. institutions to consider Compilatio as a credible alternative.”
Aaron KENDALL
You, too, should consider Compilatio
Like Skidmore College, take advantage of Compilatio’s expertise to confidently implement or refine your approach to plagiarism prevention and the oversight of AI use.
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