4 ms·

I wish this was true, but it actually also hurts all the students who aren't cheating in the course since their classmates are receiving better marks than them

I wish this was true, but it actually also hurts all the students who aren't cheating in the course since their classmates are receiving better marks than them while spending less time. Which tragically creates a strong incentive for other students to join in. In some courses this can be an epidemic and you have a significant fraction of the students cheating and getting better marks than the students who are actually learning. When curves come in to play it means the honest students are getting lower scores than the dishonest ones even though they are learning more. This can suck in a lot of fields where grades matter. The refrain that it only hurts the cheater needs to stop being something people say when this topic comes up. It is a serious problem that is undermining learning in our classrooms and it needs to be addressed, it is not a victimless act. It certainly does hurt the cheater, but it doesn't only hurt the cheater. Don't fix it for the sake of the dishonest students, fix it for the sake of the honest ones.

klbarry 15y ago
There is no evidence that cheating hurts the cheater. Sure, they will learn less. But if they get higher grades from cheating than from trying to learn and not scoring as highly, then this will get them a higher wage in many professions.
- nostrademons 15y ago
  Anecdotally (hmm, I'm good with the non-data today), there is a very strong correlation among my friends between not cheating and professional success. The ones who engaged with the material and really tried to learn it are doing very well for themselves, even if they flunked a few courses as a result. It's probably stronger than the GPA-to-success correlation - I know several summa-cum-laude graduates who've since flitted between low-level jobs and continuing education. Makes sense, really - I've found that your actual skills are the primary limiting factor on your salary, and credentials just make it easier to get the jobs you're already qualified for. While some folks try to game the credentials, the rest of us are working on skills so we can hit the ground running, and actual, tangible accomplishments speak much more loudly than degrees.

klbarry 15y ago

There is no evidence that cheating hurts the cheater. Sure, they will learn less. But if they get higher grades from cheating than from trying to learn and not scoring as highly, then this will get them a higher wage in many professions.

nostrademons 15y ago
Anecdotally (hmm, I'm good with the non-data today), there is a very strong correlation among my friends between not cheating and professional success. The ones who engaged with the material and really tried to learn it are doing very well for themselves, even if they flunked a few courses as a result. It's probably stronger than the GPA-to-success correlation - I know several summa-cum-laude graduates who've since flitted between low-level jobs and continuing education. Makes sense, really - I've found that your actual skills are the primary limiting factor on your salary, and credentials just make it easier to get the jobs you're already qualified for. While some folks try to game the credentials, the rest of us are working on skills so we can hit the ground running, and actual, tangible accomplishments speak much more loudly than degrees.