OAKLAND, California, February 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Online Webinars Offer Free Professional Development for Educators Teaching Writing-intensive Courses

Turnitin, the world leader in originality checking and plagiarism prevention services, today introduced The WriteCycle Academy, a series of free interactive webinar workshops geared toward taking high school and college instructors of writing-intensive classes beyond plagiarism prevention and toward a writing pedagogy.

Taught by a college professor, each webinar explores practical elements of using Turnitin's WriteCycle, a suite of Web-based integrated services aimed specifically at improving student writing. The instructional, digital workflow solution integrates originality checking and plagiarism prevention with the entire process of writing, feedback and grading.

The WriteCycle Academy presents a wide variety of practical methods and activities for instructors to help students in three main areas, said Katie Povejsil, vice president of marketing for Turnitin, First, to encourage original writing and responsible use of source material; second, to make the delivery of feedback faster, more meaningful and efficient; and finally, to facilitate 'the peer factor' in peer review activities.

The WriteCycle Academy professional development webinars are for: -- Secondary postsecondary instructors -- New or experienced WriteCycle/Turnitin users -- Faculty that teach writing or are involved in writing-intensive courses, including Writing Across the Curriculum and Writing in the Discipline (WAC/WID) programs Topics include: -- Teaching Students Accurate Effective Source Integration with WriteCycle, -- Assessing Student Writing with WriteCycle for Instructors Writing Programs, and -- Managing Students Coursework Online

Webinars are held each Friday from Feb. 6 through Feb. 20. For specific information on sessions, times, and system requirements as well as a short list of recommended prerequisites designed to make the experience more enjoyable, visit The WriteCycle Academy website at http://www.turnitin.com/academy.

Please note, webinars are held in English only.

Media Contact: Katie Povejsil Vice President, Marketing Phone: +1-510-287-9720 x 287 Email: kpovejsil@turnitin.com

Katie Povejsil, Vice President, Marketing, Turnitin, +1-510-287-9720, ext. 287, kpovejsil@turnitin.com