Monday, July 7, 2008
What Constitutes Cheating?
We've all been sternly warned time and time again by professors over academic integrity and the like. We all know not to look over someones shoulder when in an exam, or copy someone else's homework. However, with the lines of acceptable technology blurred, how can any teacher stay on top of it? How does starting a Facebook study group constitute cheating? I certainly don't know all of the details to that incident, but should we be encouraging our students not to study in groups anymore for fear some of their answers to test questions will be similar? I know what the textbook definition of plageurism is, but how does that apply to the high school setting, where young minds are supposed to feed off each other.
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9 comments:
"Cheating" is a really important topic to discuss in the high school setting and I understand Erik's concerns. I think that there are many ways teachers can limit the cheating that goes on in the class. I think our first order of business is to make sure the class fully understands what constitutes plagiarism. Go through definitions and many examples. Also, outline the penalty that will result if anyone is caught cheating. I wouldn't consider a Facebook study group as cheating unless they are submitting work to me for credit that is not their own. Group learning is very important and we need to allow the students to interact and discuss with one another. It is true that answers to test questions will be similar, but we all have a (somewhat) correct answer in mind when we make up a test question. If the answers are word-for-word or too similar, then we can look deeper in to the situation. Basically, I think we should teach students what plagiarism is, why it is wrong and how to prevent it from happening.
Here's the article about the Ryerson student incident that Erik mentioned:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/03/06/facebook-study.html
The main point which really stuck out for me was that the student believed that the facebook group wasn't "any different from any library study groups or peer tutoring that has been happening." There are many on-line forums where students can help other students with subjects - cliffnotes.com comes to mind. But is this sort of thing cheating? Is paying for a tutor cheating because you are not learning on your own? The line is thin and hard to trace, especially in the maths and sciences, where there is most always a definable answer and the only way you can catch plagiarism is if everyone makes the same mistake.
I don't know the whole story behind the Facebook incident; however, if the basic issue is as simple as it is explained, then I find it pretty ridiculous that students are being accused of cheating. Rather than punishing students for being so interested in their studies, or for finding them important enough to take the initiative to form study groups, shouldn't we encourage and reward their actions for stimulating interaction and communication? Peer groups inevitably results in more critical thinking, I believe that in discouraging this, we are stripping individuals of several of the most important things that should be taught; communication, debate, sharing, compromise, equality and social behavior. Discouraging student-organized study groups is completely non-progressive and puts leads to establishing far too great an emphasis on test results as being the only real important thing to come out of studying and learning in general. Whether or not I like it, I understand that test-taking is certainly a part of the education process; however, I find that evaluating a students level of participation, commitment and attitude towards the material and the classroom dynamic represents a far better criteria for calculating their understanding than placing a check beside a letter they circled. Study groups, whether electronic or not help to include not only every individual, but each of their ideas, concepts, concerns and backgrounds. When a group of students brings all of these differences together in order to create an answer they agree on, they should be rewarded for not only grasping the material, but for developing, assessing, considering and incorporating various ways of interpreting it.
Okay so I read the story on the Facebook study group and I think it's kind of ridiculous. There is a difference between sharing ideas and blatantly posting answers to study questions that everyone else can cut and paste. I've participated in study groups before and they were very beneficial to me. There will be times when some students understand the material better than others, so why not allow those who are at a loss to seek help from their peers? I think it would be better for students to use this kind of forum because then I, as a teacher, can log in and see the topics of discussion. If there are many people asking the same questions, then that gives me an opportunity to re-evaluate my teaching methods and figure out where I'm going wrong.
I agree with everyone...group learning is an integral part of high school, and I think that what Ellie said is bang on: "We should teach students what plagiarism is, why it is wrong, and how to prevent it from happening." So long as we teach them the difference between cheating and information sharing, I don't see the problem with study groups. In fact, I encourage them!
Sabrina
I find the allegation against the student (Chris Avenir) at Ryerson to be quite shocking. It seems to me that the online community that he and his classmates created was merely set up to share information and ideas about homework assignments with which they were struggling. It doesn't seem much different from meeting in a study group which is permitted and in fact often encouraged by professors and instructors. Like Ellie I believe that group work is extremely important to the generation and development of ideas among students. I think we need to encourage students to learn and explore concepts with their peers.
If, however, the forum was created with intention of sharing specific answers to homework questions or assignments that were meant to be completed on an individual basis, I would have to side with the professor and deem it to be cheating. For that reason I think it is important for students to understand what constitutes cheating and plagiarism. Students need to know that are consequences if they are caught cheating or plagiarising someone else's work. Hopefully making them understand the consequences will discourage students from cheating.
I absolutely agree that these students should not have been punished for taking the initiative to form a study group. Technology is a huge part of young peoples' lives these days and it cannot be ignored in the classroom. Also, we spend our entire lives learning from others, so peer mentoring and help should be welcomed in the classroom.
When I was in junior high /high school, there was not much discussion on the topic of plagiarism. We understood that it was wrong to look over at someone's test or write answer on your hand, however, no clear instructions were given on copying someone else's words. This type of instruction needs to be presented earlier than grade 11-12 since it is such an integral part of University life.
If teachers want work to be individual and are going to punish students for working with others, then the directions given need to state very clearly what is acceptable and what is not. Having all the instructions clearly typed out would probably be helpful.
Just some thoughts,
Alison
Well this is a definite concern for all teachers I think. In my mind there are going to be differences between subjects though and one would hope that by having more response based questions on tests or more weight for in-class assignments, there will be less chance to "cheat," in whatever sense of the word.
I know an english teacher that I spent a lot of time with recently has begun almost exclusively to do in-class assignments and tests, or group work that is meant to be done collectively in order to avoid even the possibility of cheating and plagiarism.
I do think there are ways around this howerver, and educating the students on what cheating means and utilizing tools that check that what they hand in is really their original work is a good chunk of the battle! I'm also sure when we're there we'll be able to pick up on the "new" ways to cheat and hopefully subvert!!
I think the idea of stopping cheating would be very hard. I know of a few people in their undergrad that were caught plagiarising. No major conciseness came of any of the incidences I know of, two cases people got zeros on the assignments and in the end the professors decided not to count the lowest marks. But the real reason they were able to find material on the internet was the questions that the teacher was asking, they were generic and didn’t make the students personalize the work. I think if more care was given to how questions were asked and made them individualized I think that would cut down on opportunities to find the cookie cutter answers.
Yes, what do we call cheating, and who dictates what it is?
I think much of the problem is not with the students, but with the teachers. If we have this technology that shapes lives, shouldn't people assessing work be aware of this and adapt accordingly?
I see a student being resourceful and using technology effectively where someone else might consider it "unfair play." I suppose to me a cheater is someone who intentionally disrupts the possibility for an equal playing field.
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