šŸ“… 2024-06-24 — Session: Implemented MOSS for Plagiarism Detection

šŸ•’ 15:35–16:35
šŸ·ļø Labels: MOSS, Python, Plagiarism Detection, Automation, Scripting
šŸ“‚ Project: Teaching
⭐ Priority: MEDIUM

Session Goal

The goal of this session was to set up and implement the Measure Of Software Similarity (MOSS) tool for detecting plagiarism in student programming submissions.

Key Activities

  • Set up MOSS for plagiarism detection, including registration and installation.
  • Developed a Python script to integrate MOSS, organizing submissions and automating the process using the subprocess module.
  • Modified the script to handle file limitations and tested the functionality.
  • Resolved an error in the MOSS script by removing the unrecognized ā€˜-u’ option.
  • Executed the MOSS script and summarized the results, indicating no plagiarism detected.
  • Explained the structure and functionality of the MOSS Perl script for plagiarism checks.
  • Managed submission limits by batching files and automating the process with a Python script.
  • Automated batch submission of Python files for similarity checks.
  • Used shell commands to count files by extension within a directory.
  • Identified issues with file processing and suggested improvements for error reporting.

Achievements

  • Successfully set up and executed MOSS for plagiarism detection with no plagiarism detected in the test submissions.
  • Improved the MOSS script for better file handling and error management.

Pending Tasks

  • Further analysis of the MOSS execution results to refine the process and ensure robustness.
  • Implement additional error handling and reporting mechanisms as suggested.