Do it the right way...okay?
There comes a time in the life of every authority figure when they notice someone doing something wrong. For me today, it was one of my students copying another lab instead of doing his own. Now I know that there are lots of old copies hanging around out there, and that people copy all the time - but its still wrong and certainly not going to help you learn. But if you must do it...at least do it the smart way - not like my student today. So follows is a note to all my students, and any other students aspiring to someone else's best - DO IT RIGHT. I'll still know you're cheating, because I know that you're not that smart, but at least I'll admire your skill rather than laugh at you behind your back.
-If you have a lab from the year before - copy it before you come into the lab...don't bring it with you and copy it right in front of me.
-Change some words around - the answer key isn't how any student would ever answer...so don't try.
-Don't let everyone around you copy it too. It makes your actions all the more apparent, and after marking 6 of the same response - I know something's up.
-And most important...copy off someone who actually did well. Is there any point in copying off a lab that only got 70% ? You can probably do better anyway and if you can't, then maybe you shouldn't be in my lab anyway - cause good luck with third year.
-If you have a lab from the year before - copy it before you come into the lab...don't bring it with you and copy it right in front of me.
-Change some words around - the answer key isn't how any student would ever answer...so don't try.
-Don't let everyone around you copy it too. It makes your actions all the more apparent, and after marking 6 of the same response - I know something's up.
-And most important...copy off someone who actually did well. Is there any point in copying off a lab that only got 70% ? You can probably do better anyway and if you can't, then maybe you shouldn't be in my lab anyway - cause good luck with third year.
posted by meesh @ 9:05 p.m.
2 Comments:
At March 8, 2006 at 6:47:00 a.m. PST,
Christopher Robin said…
It's pretty sad to realize how many students will blatantly cheat. I remember pointing one cheat out to a prof during a Chem 101 exam (she was almost standing to read over the shoulder of the girl next to her). The prof simply said she didn't care, the person who was being copied off of wasn't too bright anyway so it probably wasn't helping anyone. Sadly, as in most cases, the student was not punished for cheating, and that's the real problem there seems to be a reluctance by profs to punish students.
At March 8, 2006 at 12:06:00 p.m. PST,
Anonymous said…
We've had some incidences with cheating around here too. But, nothing much ever happens because the politics and paperwork and everything else makes it very difficult. This difficulty with doing what is right, often causes the profs to become apathetic. Same thing happens with students who miss labs/tests/quizzes and feel entitled to make them up. If they raise enough of a stink, most profs will cave, rather than stand up for what is right.
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