4 ms·
Agree and would add that there is no reason that the algorithms need to be secret. Well, there might be some value in keeping the algorithm from the writers, bu
by wwarner 8y ago
Agree and would add that there is no reason that the algorithms need to be secret. Well, there might be some value in keeping the algorithm from the writers, but definitely none in keeping it from the editor/teacher. Also, the algorithm can report on the likelihood of it's own error, which can help teachers to interpret the result.
- Zigurd 8y agoCoders live in a bit of a utopia. Imagine your code quality being scored by a proprietary black box. That would be intolerable and contrary to the spirit of producing a quality product and developing better coders. Keeping the algorithms secret for plagiarism detectors is about as dubious. If they are not good enough to reject gaming they are not robust enough to deliver reliable scores. If you don't trust students to see that gaming a plagiarism detector is more effort than honest work, you've admitted the wrong student, and/or you are using a duff plagiarism detector.
- paulmd 8y agoAt the very tail end of when I was going to college, classes were starting to move to "online assignments" where you type your answer into an online tool which matches it as a string against the expected answer, and it's exactly as intolerable as you imagine. Teachers like them because they don't have to grade papers, textbook publishers like them because the online code prevents reselling the textbook (or at least, the new customer will need to purchase a key anyway).
- hopler 8y agoThis seems to complete the charade that a college degree is just a taxi medallion, an inherently worthless object that only has value because powers conspire to require it as a roadblock to something impot, and then extract money from people who need to get past the roadblock