February
1, 2021

7 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Turnitin is an online plagiarism prevention service that promotes academic integrity, efficient assessment and feedback, and supports the advancement of academic results in all subjects and educational levels.

The company was created in 1998, when four students from the University of California, Berkeley made an application in order to review work between students.

The students had to hand in their projects and they made comments to each other, but these young people discovered that their classmates loaned their work and copied it. To help end this situation, they launched this review instrument in 2000.

Today Turnitin is an ally in fostering original thinking and authentic learning by developing cutting-edge technology that enables institutions to discourage plagiarism, provide formative feedback, obtain comprehensive reports, and investigate academic misconduct. It currently serves more than 15,000 institutions around the world and is headquartered in Oakland, California, with international offices in the UK, the Netherlands, Australia, Korea, India, and throughout Latin America.

How does it work?

Turnitin uses state-of-the-art technology to do different activities, one is to check the coincidence and similarity between texts. “A piece of writing is taken and we review it against databases that the Internet has, which has published articles, scientific journals and works by other students. Similarly, we have additional technology to determine authorship, checking if they are the words and the student’s work itself, ”says Catalina Londoño, manager of Professional and Educational Services for Latin America of the company. They also have technology to evaluate student work.

Comprehensive and remote evaluation

Gradescope is Turnitin’s tool to lessen the burden on teachers. “It is a way to collect and review information and make it digital; after making a transparent and rapid evaluation of the students, then reviewing the performance of the students in those activities that we are evaluating them, ”says Londoño.

Gradescope strengthens the entire assessment process, works digitally and even with the help of artificial intelligence to group student responses. It also reduces evaluation time by up to 80% and offers advanced learning statistics. This means that the one who makes the evaluation is not the machine, but the teacher, but the former helps them to group the works. The use of dynamic rubrics for scoring and the flexibility of the tool promote transparent, rapid and quality evaluation.

The experience of teachers has been positive, as is the case of Rómulo Chumacero, associate professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Chile, who shares how he uses the tools with his students.

“With the Turnitin similarity check, I can do a quick and rigorous check of the work submitted by students and compare it with databases of documents from all over the world,” Chimacero says in a statement.

“Gradescope has been the most pleasant surprise that I had in terms of digital tools. It is a tool that allows you to design and correct evaluations from a friendly platform. It allows always applying the same standards to the evaluations of all students, it is very flexible regarding the type of evaluation to be carried out and it is very easy for students to use ”, he adds.

^{Courtesy Turnitin}

Academic integrity

Originality was released in 2020 and uses similarity check technology. On this platform, students are allowed, through Draft Coach, to be able to self-manage and review the quality of their sources, their citation and referencing practices, to be able to observe the percentage of similarity of their works and to support their learning process, improving the habits of writing and cited.

With this tool, teachers have more time to ensure the quality of projects and academic integrity in their classes, by providing relevant and timely information that facilitates the identification of opportunities for dialogue and detection of faults of students who require more help.

Academic and educational trends

The interviewee points out that the pandemic accelerated digitization in the academic world. “We have seen changes in the way our clients have implemented their services in times of pandemic. We have seen changes in the way we use them, obviously we are forced to move to this virtual world. It seems that digital is a trend that will remain, until we feel comfortable to return to the classroom and the face-to-face world… We will probably end up in a hybrid and well-globalized model ”, explains the executive.

The great thinkers of the institutions in Latin America and worldwide can distinguish an opportunity to communicate and have the possibility to share courses between institutions. “Surely at some point a mix can be made and the idea is that integrity can also be guaranteed in these new virtual and eventually hybrid versions, which seems to be the trend from now on”, adds the expert.

The pursuit and promotion of academic integrity has three important components, Londoño says. The first has to do with institutional and governmental policies to promote the integrity of good practices, the second is the pedagogical tools, that of the teacher with the student in their daily work; and the third is the technology to mix these three elements so that the promotion of academic integrity is a complement among all the ingredients.

From Mexico to Latin America

Currently, the company has clients that include higher and higher education institutions, on average 15,000 globally and more than 34 million students worldwide. Turnitin supports institutions and empowers teachers to efficiently evaluate and safeguard institutional reputation.

Among the most prominent clients in Mexico are: Editorial UNAM, Metropolitan Autonomous University, University of Monterrey, Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Anáhuac University, among other institutions.

The most important and largest Turnitin office in Latin America is in Mexico where they have a specific Latin American team that will serve the Mexican and Spanish market.

January
29, 2021

6 min read

This story originally appeared on The Conversation

After the Christmas excesses, it is common to implement some type of plan to lose the kilos that we have gained.

Light , sugar-free or fat- free foods are some of the most sought after in the supermarket. But do we know what we are buying?

Officially, these claims are called ” nutrition claims .” After many years in a legal vacuum, the European Commission (EC) regulated them in 2006. Until then, anyone could attribute (almost) miraculous properties to their products.

Regulation No. 1924/2006 of the EC includes the more than 30 nutritional declarations that can be made of food.

In them not only the presence or absence of energy contribution stands out. Also different types of fat, fiber, protein, sugar, vitamins or minerals. Among the most popular are ” high in fiber “, ” no added sugar “, ” with calcium ” or ” low in salt “.

What kinds of foods carry nutrition claims?

It is the packaged foods that carry nutritional claims. These are common, for example, in breakfast cereals, cookies, dairy or vegetable drinks and margarines.

Except in some supermarket chain, you can hardly see nutritional claims on fresh fruits, vegetables or fish. Does that mean they don’t contain important nutrients?

Absolutely. Natural foods are the basis of our diet and many statements can be made from them. Let’s look at some examples.

For example, what could we say in the case of lettuce or orange? They do not have added sugars, have low energy value and do not contain saturated fat or salt. They are rich in fiber, contain folic acid and vitamin C.

Another case, lentils. What statements could we make about them? They are rich in protein and fiber, have no added sugars, are low in fat and in saturated fat.

In addition, they are rich in vitamin B1 , folic acid, B6 , iron , phosphorus and zinc and contain vitamin B2 , magnesium , potassium and selenium.

What are nutrition claims used for?

The statements are used for commercial purposes. Their goal is to increase the sales of the products that carry them. The European Commission itself recognizes that they give a positive image to food.

Numerous research papers have studied its effect on consumers’ purchase choice. In fact, they are more likely to choose products that carry claims . However, these can be misleading about the actual content of the product .

Some authors have gone even further and say that the statements give a “healthy halo” to food. In this way, consumers assume that the product that carries them is healthier than it really is.

So, aren’t foods with nutrition claims healthy?

Not necessarily. Its use only provides information about one of the nutrients in the food. The nutrient that the manufacturer is interested in highlighting.

To determine whether or not it is healthy, it would be necessary to take into account all the nutrients it contains, in addition to its energy intake.

Recent studies in Brazil , Canada and New Zealand show that a large number of foods with nutrition claims are unhealthy. Similar results are to be expected in Spain.

To prevent non-recommended foods from making claims, the EC undertook to establish additional nutritional requirements. The institution was working on it in 2008; however, it has not yet managed to materialize any legislation in this regard.

The result is that we find butter or light margarine with 40% fat on the market. Light or zero soft drinks with acesulfame K, cyclamate, aspartame or stevia. These are sweeteners and therefore not recommended by the World Health Organization .

Cookies rich in fiber with more than 400 kcal / 100g are also common. Chocolates with no added sugar are real calorie bombs, with lots of saturated fat.

Nutritional statements on products for sale in Spain

The conditions of use of the nutrition claims authorized by the EC are clearly specified. Despite being mandatory, the truth is that legislation is often violated.

The BADALI team of the Miguel Hernández University published a study of the prevalence of nutritional claims in 3 197 foods for sale in Spain. We also analyze compliance with Regulation No. 1924/2006 that regulates them.

We were surprised by the large number of nutritional claims we found. About a third of the foods analyzed had them. The average was more than three statements per food.

Those who made them the most, nuts and seeds, legumes and non-alcoholic beverages. The most mentioned nutrients were fats and vitamins, followed by minerals and fiber.

Of all the nutritional claims analyzed, only half complied with the legislation (49% of 3 839). Nuts, seeds, fish, shellfish, sweets and chocolates were the foods with the most misstatements.

Conclusion: “nutrition claims” does not mean “healthy foods”

As we have seen in this article, nutritional claims are often made from unhealthy foods. Furthermore, about half do not comply with the legislation.

So what is the practical use of consumer statements? This is a question legislators should ask themselves.

Our recommendation is to reduce the consumption of those foods with added sugar, fat or salt. Whether or not they carry statements.

^{This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .}

January
27, 2021

6 min read

This story originally appeared on The Conversation

By A. Victoria de Andrés Fernández , University of Malaga

They are already here. The vaccination machinery is launched simultaneously throughout the continent.

Do we clap or do we run to hide?

Well, absolutely, you have to applaud. But you also have to empathize with those who, from a world outside science, need (and rightly so) important aspects to be clarified before taking the decisive step and offering their bare arm to the biotechnology revolution.

We are going to gather the clarifications into four conceptual categories:

a) Truths

1.- The pandemic has endangered the two great treasures of all countries: their population and their economy. Regardless of ideologies, political parties, geographical location, historical trajectory or geopolitical strategies, the search for the vaccine is the common interest of absolutely all states.

2.- For a country to prioritize the fight against SARS-CoV-2 is of no use if the rest of the planet does not do the same. In a global world, you are not bio-sanitary safe from a pandemic wherever you live.

3.- Vaccines save lives. According to the prestigious virologist Marie-Paule Kieny , nothing has contributed more to the increase in the survival rate of humanity than the purification of water and mass vaccinations .

4- It is the first time in its history that Science joins in the common cause of finding a generalized solution that protects us against COVID-19. This means money, priority in scientific research and the best specialized minds working on it (fortunately, and unlike politics, science is the best furnished heads; it has been a process of pure natural selection).

5.- The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is one of the most rigorous, conservative and serious organizations on the planet. Their professionalism in allowing the commercialization and use of new vaccines is our greatest guarantee of safety.

6.- Today, there is no known effective therapy against COVID-19.

b) Lies

1.- Vaccines alter our DNA because they are made of RNA, which is genetic material .

Uncertain.

The latest generation vaccines (such as those from Pfizer and Moderna) are based on introducing into cells the templates for the synthesis of antibodies against the virus in the form of messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. Certainly. But this is done in the cell cytoplasm, which is where the ribosomes (the antibody factories) are. Our DNA is enclosed in the nucleus of the cell, where it does n’t even smell like the mRNAs that have entered the cytoplasm of our lymphocytes (anyway, even if it smells them , nothing would happen because the gene expression process acts unidirectionally from the DNA to ribosomes, never the other way around).

2.- There has not been enough time to make a safe vaccine.

Uncertain.

As recalled by the president of the Spanish Vaccination Association, Amós García Rojas, the protocolized phases in the process of generating the new vaccines (of strict compliance) have not been skipped, but have overlapped. This, together with the fact that they have been carried out at different times in different countries, has made it possible to win months. Therefore, the large-scale monitoring of toxicity, immunogenicity, and SAEs (serious adverse events), required to achieve EMA approval, has been done well.

c) Doubts

1.- When we get vaccinated, will we be forever protected against the virus?

Answer: We don’t know.

The phase that is really missing in all the generation processes of our innovative vaccines is phase IV . This is where the data on long-term immunity come in. As Bruno Pitard, director of the CNRS , states, the preliminary results suggest that “vaccinated individuals are well protected one week after” the second dose against the virus, but “We don’t know what will happen next .”

2.- How many doses of vaccine will be necessary?

Answer: We don’t know either.

We will know when the development of phase IV collects, over time, the necessary information. From the outset, as it is not a traditional vaccine (see article Covid-19 vaccines: an understandable comparison , we will need, from the outset, booster doses.

3.- If I get vaccinated, will I be able to forget forever about the uncomfortable protection measures?

Answer: No

Remember that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have a very good efficacy (greater than 90%) but not total, that is, it is not guaranteed that 100% of those vaccinated will be free of the incidence of the disease if they come into contact with the virus. Of course, vaccinated we will go much calmer because, in case of accidental contact, the chances that the viral proliferation will prosper within us will be very small. Consequently, the chances of both becoming ill and being an asymptomatic carrier of the virus will be minimal.

4.- Can vaccines generate dangerous allergic reactions?

Answer: It does not depend on the vaccine itself, but on the characteristics of the immune system of the person receiving it.

For this reason, the Spanish Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (SEAIC) has contraindicated them for people who have had a serious reaction to a food or drug and has recalled that these vaccines have, in principle, the same contraindications as the rest of vaccines . In other words, if you have allergy problems, you will need to be as careful with these vaccines as you would with any other new medicine / food / protein with antigenic capacity that irritates your delicate immune system.

d) Nonsense

1.- SARS-CoV-2 is “the great lie of governments”. Vaccination is part of a great conspiracy to introduce us to microchips and keep us under control for life

Answer: Aghhhh !!!

So many centuries of advancement of scientific knowledge for this… Please listen to the specialists and leave the Miguelesbés and the like to dance when all this happens.

^{This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .}

January
25, 2021

7 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused radical changes in consumer habits. Confinement measures, restrictions imposed on the commercial sector and people’s concern for their health, accelerated the adoption of online shopping and triggered new processes in decision-making by consumers.

Facebook IQ, the area of the company dedicated to market knowledge, prepared the study The future of purchases was anticipated , on the prospects for retail, with the purpose of understanding the changes and building a bridge between the current uncertainty with the future opportunities.

From this document, Adriana Peón, commercial director of eCommerce, Retail and Financial Services at Facebook , shares five recommendations for businesses that can help them successfully meet the needs of consumers in 2021.

1. Adapt shopping experiences to meet new consumer expectations

^{Image: Clay Banks via Unsplash}

While price is still the most important factor when deciding where to buy, it is also true that throughout 2020 people have reassessed their expectations and taken additional factors into consideration when buying. For example, security is essential to physically go to a store; 71% of consumers worldwide say that a safe environment in the store is very important. For online shopping, reliability has become essential, with 70% of consumers saying that it is important that the products they want are available.

In this context, the recommendation is that businesses adapt the shopping experiences, both in physical stores and online, to comply with security measures and inventory reliability to increase the probability of completing the purchase process.

2. Reduce the friction of in-store and online purchases

^{Image: Brooke Lark via Unsplash}

People expect a quick and easy shopping experience. When they must take unnecessary steps or experience delays or barriers, the likelihood that they will abandon the process increases. The pandemic increased the possibility of additional friction by having increased both the risks and the intolerance of consumers towards them.

These barriers extend both for physical stores and online. For example, 38% of global consumers say they have experienced time risks (for example, long lines to pay and difficulty finding products) while shopping in the store and 54% say they have experienced functional risks (items out of stock or lack of information about products) while shopping online.

Reducing friction both in store and online should become a central objective for business. Minimizing waiting times and guaranteeing information and product availability, as well as a smooth payment experience , will build trust in consumers and help convert them into frequent customers.

3. Focus on both the transactional and the experimental

^{Image: Patrick Tomasso via Unsplash}

Traditionally, face-to-face shopping has been considered an experience, that is, if you want to see and feel a product, you go to the store. While electronic commerce has been classified as a mere transaction. The pandemic has blurred these distinctions and even reversed the roles of both channels. More and more people want in-person shopping to be efficient and e-commerce to be immersive. In fact, 63% of online consumers globally agreed with the statement: “I would like to virtually try the products on from the comfort of my home.”

Technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and live commerce can serve as substitutes for in-store experiences to build trust. The first two reduce the gap between the online and offline worlds by allowing products to be represented digitally in physical spaces, while live commerce allows people to make purchases during live broadcasts of tutorials and product demonstrations, which motivates consumers to complete the purchase.

4. Seek to reach both local buyers and the rest of the world

^{Image: Veronika Koroleva via Unsplash}

Many consumers have tried to help businesses in their communities: two out of three people say they have taken some action to support a local business, either by making purchases or promoting it on social media. At the same time, global online sales increased 21% during the first half of 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, as buyers searched for product availability and better prices.

It is clear that consumers do not limit their purchases to one geographic area and are increasingly looking for the products they need both locally and globally. Companies can follow suit and seek to meet the needs of buyers in their own communities and in potential new markets.

Thanks to technology today it is much easier to connect with people who are in a different location. However, it is important to recognize the relevance of localized marketing, for example tailoring the language of advertising and information based on location or customer preferences. In addition, it is also key to try to create a seamless shopping experience throughout the journey, showing details of the purchase, as well as offering reliable payment platforms and various options for shipping.

5. Build loyalty with a multifaceted strategy

^{Image: Micheile Henderson via Unsplash}

More than 60% of consumers globally say they have tried a new brand since the start of the pandemic, while 58% say they have tried a new online shopping platform.1 This diversification has contributed to eroding loyalty and customers. Consumers themselves report feeling less loyal to both physical stores and online shopping platforms.

In addition to the importance of price, additional factors now intervene such as availability (for example, inventory), accessibility (for example, communication channels), attributes (for example, environmental practices), actions (for example , omnichannel experiences), altruism (for example, the response to COVID-19) and safeguards (for example, security measures).

Earning loyalty in 2021 will not be an easy task. However, it is possible to achieve this consistently by developing a multifaceted strategy that responds to the factors that have traditionally influenced decision-making, as well as those that have become more relevant since the pandemic.

“Certainly, businesses cannot afford to stop and wait for things to be as they were before, but must look to transform shopping experiences to make them even more convenient and easy. The great advantage is that today there are technologies available to any person or company that make it easier to evolve and create new business opportunities ”, said Adriana Peón.