Shadow Scholar Details Student Cheating 542
vortex2.71 writes "A 'shadow writer,' who lives on the East Coast, details how he makes a living writing papers for a custom-essay company and describes the extent of student cheating he has observed. In the course of editing his article, The Chronicle Of Higher Education reviewed correspondence he had with clients and some of the papers he had been paid to write. 'I've written toward a master's degree in cognitive psychology, a Ph.D. in sociology, and a handful of postgraduate credits in international diplomacy. I've worked on bachelor's degrees in hospitality, business administration, and accounting. I've written for courses in history, cinema, labor relations, pharmacology, theology, sports management, maritime security, airline services, sustainability, municipal budgeting, marketing, philosophy, ethics, Eastern religion, postmodern architecture, anthropology, literature, and public administration. I've attended three dozen online universities. I've completed 12 graduate theses of 50 pages or more. All for someone else.'"
Re:what a douche! (Score:2, Informative)
Re:No science? (Score:3, Informative)
Science & Engineering papers usually depend on new work or research, whereas a lot of the subjects he mentioned just want you to repeat whatever the current received wisdom is with your own little bit on why you agree with it
Re:No engineering? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:The source of the problem (Score:5, Informative)
Many schools have a rule that you cannot use work you did for a prior class.
Re:The source of the problem (Score:3, Informative)
Re:No engineering? (Score:3, Informative)
I have run into the, "single page of notes," option many times. I have to say that it is extremely helpful to me as I have a poor memory of things like formulas and names. This is due to a named and diagnosable cognitive issue. Being in my final semester of an MBA program (with no cheating, mind you), I make up for it in other ways.
I remember one instructors comment on the idea of books during exams and tests. It was during my undergrad yeas sin on of my engineering classes. His comment was, "no one is ever going to ask you to do anything significant and tell you that you can't use the book." In fact, I have found the opposite, people love it when they can come me with a question and I am able to, quickly, give them a referenced answer.
Returning to the point of note sheets in exams; one thing I do not like doing is giving people copies of my exam notes. The reason for this is simple. There is tremendous value in making the note sheet. Further, it is personalized in regards to style. I tell people asking for a copy that, of course, they can ave a copy; however, to do well on the exam, they should use it as a basis for forming their own note sheet, not to use the one I had written as it was.
That advise evolved to small study groups helping to insure that all at the study group had written a note sheet, and understood how to use what they had written (slightly off topic, running these groups is a great way for nerds to pick up on impossibly hot woman). I have sense taken this process to another step in my classes, I ask that all study sheets be written in the students own hand, to be turned in with the test for comparison to the handwriting on the exam. It should come as no surprise that there is a direct correlation between extensive note sheets and not only the students exam performance; but with, admittedly based on conversations with students, the students, overall, grasp of the subject.
Re:The source of the problem (Score:3, Informative)
For "bus" you may substitute some other sudden or not-so-sudden tragedy. The point is, the people who work here today may not be here tomorrow, and the software must still be maintained in any case.
It's not just documenting code that matters, it's having documented specifications. The specs say how the system should work. The code says how it does work. These things are not always the same and it's worthwhile to know where you have discrepancies.
Programmers often seem to think of documentation and other paperwork as useless overhead. Some of it may be, but bona fide requirements and specifications are invaluable for any kind of large, complex system.
Re:The source of the problem (Score:3, Informative)
(And before any criticism is leveled at my punctuation, I take the British approach to quotes as it is more logical.)
Re:No engineering? (Score:3, Informative)
I was guessing that the point of the exercise was that there was some flaw with the givens -- a reductio ad absurdum.