Caught some students...need advice

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by buckwheat3, Jan 31, 2009.

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  1. buckwheat3

    buckwheat3 Master of the Obvious

    Hi Folks,
    I have a teaching gig with UPO/Axia and two students turned in the same power point presentation...about the only thing that changed were the background colors and a few other minor things.
    It was so obvious....even the text was the same, word for word and even the odd minor details in the sources cited were the same...wooo-hooo!
    They didn’t even bother to shuffle the sequence around or even the illustrations...woo-hoo #2.
    So I sent off an academic violation alert... and withheld their grades until I get an academic ruling on the matter.
    So my question is, how does UPO/Axia handle a situation like this...do they fail the students outright (I have yet to go back and review their past assignments)?
    Do they just tell me to decide their assignment grade.... a big ol' ZERO?
    Do they kick them out?
    I know there are some UOP/Axia instructors here....what happens after this?

    Usually I'm pretty good to students, I accept assignments a few days late without point deductions etc.; help them out any way I can... but this kinda' pisses me off!
     
  2. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    Well, me being the fun type, I'd do a right click on the properties and see if you can discern the original author. If so, I would give the grade to whoever was the originator. The second individual gets a zero for that grade for plagiarism. If neither was the originator then a zero for both. Once one of the folks finds out the other got a grade and he/she didn't you should have some interesting feedback from the student. There might also be some merit to checking into the reason for the submission. The originator may have been innocently helping (format, etc....) not realizing the other was going to use the work wholesale.

    In any event, I can't wait to hear the outcome.
     
  3. JimLane

    JimLane New Member

    Of course, you need to ascertain whether or not the originator gave the presentation to the other individual before giving the originator credit. If they enabled the cheating, they should pay a price.


    jim


     
  4. Peace123

    Peace123 New Member

    If it turns out both were involved in the cheating:

    Since they submitted the same project, why not grade it and give each half of the score.

    Peace123
     
  5. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    The one time I caught a UoP student, completely and totally red-handed (as opposed to unintentional plagiarism through sloppy citation and other gray areas), I submitted the academic alert, gave the student the grade they would have received if the work were their own, and waited for guidance from the school.

    The school convened an academic honesty review board (my terminology may not be correct) which consists of faculty, students, & administration, and after an investigation they recommended changing the grade to an "F" for the course, even though the final decision on grading always lies with the faculty member, and also imposed additional sanctions. I agreed with their recommendation, submitted a grade change form, and overall, I think they handled it appropriately.

    The people at UoP are not stupid; they realize their accreditation (and therefore their viability) hinges on academic standards, and they take academic honesty VERY seriously.
     
  6. Chip

    Chip Administrator

    Bruce, I can't tell you how good it is to hear this. I haven't been following UoP for years, but if you search the archives, there are all sorts of awful stories from faculty members saying that they graded students poorly for poor work, only to have the administration change the grade (so the student's employer would pay for the class), and various other things like ignorance of plagiarism and cheating.

    I suppose a lot of that stuff could be chalked up to early growing pains, and perhaps a "business first" mindset that has subsequently changed, but in any case, it is REALLY good to hear that, at least in this instance, they took things seriously. It will be interesting to see what comes of the current case.
     
  7. buckwheat3

    buckwheat3 Master of the Obvious

    Still quite on the western front...no word from the students involved. Although I'm sure somebody's email is getting fired up with back and forth correspondence.

    Hopefully I will hear something out of them by Monday.....I will report back
     
  8. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    That's why I'm honestly puzzled when people still bash UoP about lax standards, because I just haven't seen it.

    I've told the story before that I had one (and only one so far) class with UoP where every single student was exceptional, and they all earned "A" grades. Within a week of submitting grades, I got a message from the academic team, asking for an explaination as to why the entire class got an "A" grade.

    The entire class was audited, and while nothing came of it because the grades were well-earned, it showed me that UoP is very concerned about grade inflation and lax standards.
     
  9. tribilin80

    tribilin80 Member

    hey those were my slides.....

    ok, JK
     
  10. Thorvald

    Thorvald New Member

    I know that Microsoft Word has document information in the “.DOC” file that is not viewable from MS Word and needs a separate program to view it.
    Perhaps the same is true of PowerPoint. Maybe some of our more computer literate members or your faculty members could advise you.

    Best wishes---JIm
     
  11. geoffs

    geoffs Member

    I have been in this situation (not with UOP) more times than I can count...Here are my issues:
    1) if you let them go: then they could get 1 free pass with each instructor, that's 40 violations over an undergrad (assuming all 3 cr courses)....
    2) What will your chair/dean/etc do? Do they support you in enforcement or ask you to brush it under the rug (sadly been in both spots)....
    3) What do you peers at UOP do? I am not into Peer pressure but remember you have to live with the apple cart: so don't upset it... It doesn't mean let it slide but it could mean: it's just a warning between you and them?
    4) What does your ethics tell you to do? Each is a personal choice! A friend of mine has turned in names to gov't licensing bodies for their actions...while I agree with the choice I am unsure on the privilege of it given that it was through education (lawyers, bail me out???)

    Bottom line: go with your GUT...as a 300 lbs man I know its my biggest asset!
     
  12. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I don't teach at any school (school of hard knocks doesn't count) but I've always imagined that once something like this is reported there is a prescribed process and it just goes through the stages until there's a final outcome. There might be some question about 'should I report the student or should I not' but once that decision is made isn't this just a downhill ride?
     
  13. geoffs

    geoffs Member

    Ahhh but see the problem you assume there is a process!...I can't speak for UofP but many schools I've worked with: do not have a process. Sure they have a rule but bring it to a chair/etc and small will bury their heads, on the other hand the first Dean I taught under was Amazing (fair, balanced, and with process to consider the student and the program). Unfortunately, academic leadership for those in authority can be: rare! And I aint just talking about a Juicy Steak!....hmmmm steak
     
  14. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    OK, I'm willing to believe that there is not a clear process in all schools. However, in my experience, when processes remain vague despite the need for clarity it's usually because someone at the top wants to cover their ass by hiding behind the "incompetence" of underlings or it's because they're only interested in money. Please note that these two are not mutually exclusive.
     
  15. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member


    Ah, in other words plausible deniability.

    Abner
     
  16. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Yeah. That works.
     
  17. buckwheat3

    buckwheat3 Master of the Obvious

    Still no word from them... I sent a friendly email stating the class is winding down very soon.....

    Oh, the students in question....well that class was selected to undergo a peer review a day after I reported incident....
     
  18. buckwheat3

    buckwheat3 Master of the Obvious

    Now with more love

    Just finished up the ol, back & forth email routine. It appears Axia will be sending the students a letter...what it contains, I have no idea. After contacting other powers to be within the system, they said the grade can be a zero for the assignment (which they recommended) or any point deductions thereof....they left it completely up to me to decide.
    So in the end I took 3 points off...yea right....they didn’t even end up with three points... I wished they had kicked their asses out, if you knew what their professions were you would have wanted them out too!

    If you want to know shoot me a PM
     
  19. Peace123

    Peace123 New Member

    I tried and I got this message:

    buckwheat3 has chosen not to receive private messages or may not be allowed to receive private messages. Therefore you may not send your message to him/her.
     
  20. JimLane

    JimLane New Member

    I failed a UoP flexnet student who did not turn in a single individual paper (70% of the final grade) and told UoP she did not know she was failing the course.

    ????

    She protested the grade and UoP allowed her to retake the class without a fee.

    And they have the unmitigated gall to preach at us about grade inflation?
     

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