3 ms·

Why I will never pursue cheating again (2011)

14 points by mrdrozdov 11y ago

eljimmy 11y ago
He should compare the time required to create entirely different assignments each year with the time he spent catching and addressing plagiarism.
- Turing_Machine 11y ago
  This. Reusing assignments is just asking for trouble. No, it doesn't excuse cheating, but creating a new assignment is like using a consumer-grade lock: it helps keep honest people honest. Also: an essay about WiMax and LTE? Seriously? That doesn't sound like a very...useful...assignment to me.
Amir6 11y ago
This is wrong on so many levels I cant even count! This is probably one of the main reasons that traditional teaching/learning is going away and I'm very happy to see it gone ASAP.
- xlm1717 11y ago
  It is so wrong. The author alludes to the way the system is set up as the main reason why it is so dysfunctional: >The Nash equilibrium is to let the students cheat and “perform well”; in exchange, I get back great evaluations. This is so obviously the way it is set up, but few professors and higher-ups in college and university are willing to admit it.
nvusuvu 11y ago
Just make homework a smaller percentage (10%) of final grade.
pflanze 11y ago
Previous discussion (2011): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2774254 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2774254
vijayr 11y ago
Almost all cheating happened within groups with cultural ties. I did not even want to think of being in my office behind closed doors with a female undergraduate student who is crying loudly. More than 45 hours in completely unproductive discussions, when the total lecture time for the course was just 32 hours That was painful to read. Why would any sane person want to become a teacher? :(
thefastlane 11y ago
i'm not sure what i think about the central role this "Turnitin" 3rd-party software played in all of this. is Turnitin a for-profit company? it looks like they are. what if a student does not want their papers stored in Turnitin's databases for perpetuity to be used in an ongoing basis to help Turnitin continue to acquire profit? i'd demand royalties for each and every time any paper of mine gets used in a comparison op.
- cmdrfred 11y ago
  I imagine it's just a hash? Is a hash considered a derivative work? This is an interesting line of questioning.
Mz 11y ago
I really like the solution(s) listed at the end of the piece. This is wise stuff and the best way to handle something like this.

14 points by mrdrozdov 11y ago

He should compare the time required to create entirely different assignments each year with the time he spent catching and addressing plagiarism.

Turing_Machine 11y ago
This. Reusing assignments is just asking for trouble. No, it doesn't excuse cheating, but creating a new assignment is like using a consumer-grade lock: it helps keep honest people honest. Also: an essay about WiMax and LTE? Seriously? That doesn't sound like a very...useful...assignment to me.

Amir6 11y ago

This is wrong on so many levels I cant even count! This is probably one of the main reasons that traditional teaching/learning is going away and I'm very happy to see it gone ASAP.

xlm1717 11y ago
It is so wrong. The author alludes to the way the system is set up as the main reason why it is so dysfunctional: >The Nash equilibrium is to let the students cheat and “perform well”; in exchange, I get back great evaluations. This is so obviously the way it is set up, but few professors and higher-ups in college and university are willing to admit it.

nvusuvu 11y ago

Just make homework a smaller percentage (10%) of final grade.

pflanze 11y ago

Previous discussion (2011): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2774254 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2774254

vijayr 11y ago

Almost all cheating happened within groups with cultural ties. I did not even want to think of being in my office behind closed doors with a female undergraduate student who is crying loudly. More than 45 hours in completely unproductive discussions, when the total lecture time for the course was just 32 hours That was painful to read. Why would any sane person want to become a teacher? :(

thefastlane 11y ago

i'm not sure what i think about the central role this "Turnitin" 3rd-party software played in all of this. is Turnitin a for-profit company? it looks like they are. what if a student does not want their papers stored in Turnitin's databases for perpetuity to be used in an ongoing basis to help Turnitin continue to acquire profit? i'd demand royalties for each and every time any paper of mine gets used in a comparison op.

cmdrfred 11y ago
I imagine it's just a hash? Is a hash considered a derivative work? This is an interesting line of questioning.

Mz 11y ago

I really like the solution(s) listed at the end of the piece. This is wise stuff and the best way to handle something like this.