[plug] Leon (Blackwell)

[Leon Blackwell]

On Mon, Jun 10, 2002 at 02:21:32PM +0800, James Elliott wrote:
> I resent the use of the word "cheat".

I apologise if you took that to be a personal attack, as it was not
intended to be one.  I only used the word as it is the academic term
used when someone with knowledge gives it to a student when the student
should be learning that information on their own.  (For those that don't
know me, I teach and am duty programmer for computer science at Curtin)

My statement was not aimed at you specifically (as mentioned at the
beginning of my email), but at the general increase of students asking
questions (sometimes seemingly cut'n'pasted from their question sheets)
and receiving completed answers from list members who should know
better.

Your email was simply the trigger that caused me to put my thought to
the list and invite some discussion on the topic.


> We would be silly to try and "cheat" here when most of our lecturers and
> tutors belong to this list.

True, but cheating often work in the other direction.  You may
innocently ask for some pointers, but receive a complete solution in
response.  Were you to use this solution, or significant parts of it,
you could technically be accused of cheating.

You might also be suprised at how "silly" some students are when they
do cheat  :)


> We are external students.  Internal students attend group tutorial classes
> and ask each other questions and ask their tutors and other staff members.
> We external students work alone, 100's of kilometres from campus.  We do
> have a tutor we can e-mail, and I do, but if I don't get a reply the same
> day what would you have me do? - go to bed and wait until tomorrow? .... one
> question per day would be a great way to forge ahead, huh?

This is the very reason that external teaching is so difficult.  I have
had experience with long-distance tutoring, and agree that it is
difficult unless the tutor is easily available.


> Our course coordinator has said that "... at 3rd year level you are expected
> to be resourceful and use the Internet, alternate texts, local expertise or
> any other resource at your disposal".  I thought PLUG was a pretty good
> resource, but obviously I am mistaken.

Using a resource is still different to taking a fully-worked solution
from someone else (not that I'm implying that is what you are doing).


> You have been talking about getting Linux into schools ... what a joke? ...
> what's your problem?  Most organisations want to assist new members.

Once again, assistance is not the same giving out solutions.

(I also can't see what this has to do with getting Linux into schools)


> Who is the coordinator for this list?  He/she can take me off and I will
> find some other Linux Group in Australia or the English speaking world to
> join - hopefully one without the huge volume of spam, jokes, and people big
> noting themselves.

Might I suggest that this is just a slight over-reaction to what was
simply a statement made to invite discussion.  If you really don't enjoy
my point of view, perhaps you should just procmail me to /dev/null and
never have to worry about me again (you probably won't be the first  :)


-- 
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