Version Histories

Proving You're Human

It's really simple to prove that you wrote your paper.  Just show me the history of your writing and evidence that you know the material, and you're good!

Here's how I measure your writing progress and understanding:

• In-Class Summaries of Your Work.  Every so often, I'll give a quiz in class about your most recent paper.  In about a page of handwritten text, you'll summarize what you previously wrote and turned in.  I don't expect you to remember every single detail from your paper — but I do expect you to know the topic you wrote about.

• Digital Version Histories — Follow the Steps Below.  For longer projects, you'll be doing a lot of work at home or on the go — and Google Docs can track your progress for you.  As long as you're writing your own sentences, that will be reflected in the version history.

• Handwritten Version Histories.  If you prefer writing by hand, those handwritten notes will work as a version history.

Steps for Digital Submissions

1. Create a shared folder in Google Drive.  I will show you where to create it and how to set up the sharing settings.  If you don't know how to use Google Docs, then you are required to learn it.  If you don't have access to a computer or internet capable of using Google Docs, then you can use the on-campus computers.

2. Typed Assignments: Start all typed assignments in Google Docs in that folder.  Don't type something offline and then upload to Google — I won't accept it without a version history.  You must do all your typed work in Google Docs.

3. Handwritten Assignments: Upload photos of any handwritten drafts to your Google Drive folder.  Handwritten rough drafts are perfectly fine — the handwritten material is your version history.

4. Download your completed papers from Google Docs to your computer as a PDF.  These are backups to your Google Docs work — please do not edit the files you've downloaded.  I require PDF because it allows me to make annotations in Canvas.

5. Upload those files to Canvas.  I review the rough drafts in Google Docs, but I grade the completed drafts in Canvas.  If your uploaded assignment doesn't match what's in Google Docs, I won't accept it, and you'll get a zero on the assignment until you upload your Google Docs version.

Why I Do It This Way

Google Docs provides the version history.  You are required to set up your Google Drive folder in the designated location, create documents for each assignment, and then write your assignments in those documents.  Please let me know in case of any questions!  I want to make sure you get this right!

Canvas submission tells me your assignment is ready for grading.  You must add a copy of your work from Google Docs to Canvas.  This is where I'll post grades and comments for your work.

Canvas also includes Turnitin.  Turnitin scans every submission to check for AI and plagiarism.  I only use these scans to screen for issues — in most cases, the issu

I require a version history for every assignment.  Due to the rise in ChatGPT and Grammarly, it's sometimes impossible to tell how or whether a student has committed plagiarism with AI.  To ensure that I only grade work that you have personally written, you must have a version history that's either handwritten or shared with me via Google Docs.  If you prefer handwriting your rough drafts, then a photo of a handwritten draft will count as a version history.

If a version history is not present, your assignment may not be graded.  If there is any question about whether you used AI, I need that version history to confirm the writing is yours.  Your assignment may be treated as unsubmitted until you provide one, even if that forces you to rewrite your paper from scratch.