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Kevin Chen writes a post in his blog about incentives and scaling from his two years as a teaching assistant. Specifically in his current post he addresses plagiarism in computer science and why it has still not stopped.
The most important goal is to keep the course fair for students who do honest work. Instructors must assign grades that accurately reflect performance. A student who grapples with a problem — becoming a stronger programmer in the process — should never receive a lower grade than one who copies and pastes.
Finally, as educators, we also hope that the accused student can learn difficult lessons about ethical behavior in the classroom rather than the workplace.
From his experience, every semester somewhere between 10% to 40% of the students carry out blatant, indisputable cases of plagiarism with an unknown amount of less clear cases left unaddressed. How does this match with soylentil's experiences here, either in computer science or other fields? The perspectives are likely quite different from institution to institution as well as whether you are still studying in college or university, recently graduated, or in a teaching role.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday March 26 2018, @10:52AM (7 children)
For spring break, put them in a situation where they are likely to die. The only way they can save themselves, is to apply the lessons taught in class. A pack of mad dogs is coming down the hall, to the room where the student is confined. Either he applies the lessons learned to destroy or deter the dog pack, or they devour him. This way, you don't go to court, trying to justify the low grades you gave the student.
What's not to love about a solution like this? Shkirelli would have been eaten alive if he had ever taken an ethics test.
(Score: 2) by Wootery on Monday March 26 2018, @02:03PM (3 children)
That might have been a good way to train elite fighting regiments back when no-one valued human life. Not sure it's a good fit for undergrad CS, but I'm open minded.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday March 26 2018, @02:13PM (1 child)
Now, now, people have always valued their own lives. In fact, they tend to overvalue their own lives. The typical brain dead high school grad, embarking on a career in college, really has little value to society. We could afford to lose a few hundreds each year, to serve as an example to their peers. It would be a great way to reverse the infamous "dumbing down of America".
Graduates and post-grads have greater value, so maybe we don't want to waste as many of them. But, the opportunity for them to waste themselves should always be available.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 26 2018, @03:39PM
Do you have a lawn I can piss on?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 27 2018, @01:47AM
Within 10 years these kids are going to be shivering in collapsed buildings while the robotic AI dogs are tracking them down to rip their guts out. You should be preparing them now to hack into complex systems on the fly under intense pressure if you want humanity to survive. If you don't pass on these skills now, there won't be anyone left to do so when they're truly needed.
(Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Monday March 26 2018, @04:40PM (2 children)
But where do you get a pack of dogs that only responds to ethics?
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 4, Funny) by nitehawk214 on Monday March 26 2018, @04:43PM (1 child)
And, just to be clear, I am just curious. I do not in any way intend to release this pack of dogs on the floor of congress.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday March 26 2018, @04:51PM
Hilarious!