Cheating - a "black eye" for DL

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Gert Potgieter, Oct 11, 2002.

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  1. Ole Miss: Graduate students cheated.

    Snippet:
    • The University of Mississippi is seeking to revoke master's degrees awarded two students last May after concluding they cheated. Ole Miss public relations chief Jeff Alford on Thursday confirmed the two students "didn't do the work they claimed they did'' on an independent study course. The Ole Miss students took the "distance learning'' course on computers during their last semester enrolled on the Oxford campus. ...
     
  2. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    There is always an attempt to cheat by some in traditional and nontraditional modes of learning. The good news is that they got caught. I wonder how the system got wind of their cheating?


    John
     
  3. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Ole Miss Public Relations Chief, Jeff Alford, summed it up quite well when he said, "It is naive to think that students don't cheat."

    Some students are going to cheat, regardless of whether the program is traditional residential or distance learning. Of course, no one associated with DegreeInfo would do so. Or, as my little one would say---"Yea, Right!!!!!!!"
     
  4. Tracy Gies

    Tracy Gies New Member

    There was one (ahem) "noncommissioned officer" in the resident course, which I am now attending, who got caught cheating. What happened is he turned in a paper (only two pages, as was the standard for the assignment) that the instructor recognized from the previous cycle. He was found out easily. He actually should have known he would be found out, because when we turned in our topics to the instructor, the instructor said to the cheater something like, "Gee, that's funny. Someone from the previous cycle turned in a paper on that exact same topic." I guess the cheater never caught on.

    The cheater was desenrolled from the course for disciplinary reasons. It will cost him some money. Promotion to Sergeant First Class (E-7) is conditional upon completion of this course. Those who don't complete it are reduced in rank back to Staff Sergeant (E-6). They also have to pay back the difference in pay (roughly $300-$400 per month, depending upon how long they've been in the military), retroactive to the day they pinned SFC stripes on. Additionally, those who are disenrolled for disciplinary reasons will have a difficult time getting promoted again, as both the disenrollment and the reason for it are noted on their academic evaluation, which becomes a part of their official records. So, cheating turned out to be a bad career move for my former classmate in this traditionally-delivered course.
     
  5. Guest

    Guest Guest

    Cheating is always a bad move, career or otherwise!

    It was once said, "the person who is faithful [can be trusted] with little, is faithful in much." Of course, the situational ethicist will say "there may be those times when it is advantageous," and the relativist will say "honesty may be the best policy for YOU, but not for ME."

    But let those same individuals encounter someone who is dishonest with them [who cheats them], and it is amazing to watch their response!
     
  6. drwetsch

    drwetsch New Member

    The mafia might be a good example here.

    John
     
  7. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    The Gardner-Webb University scandal

    Has this been discussed here? I don't think so. Fascinating case, covered in detail by the Chronicle of Higher Education in recent weeks. As I recall it:

    1. Star athlete caught cheating on exam at this conservative Baptist university.

    2. Failing grade lowers his GPA so he can't play on the basketball team.

    3. College rules and honor code prevent grade appeals or changing an 'F' when it was caused by cheating.

    4. Nonetheless, college president quietly overrules his vice president and changes the grade.

    5. Student who cheated plays on team; chosen most valuable player in conference.

    6. President 'outed' by two professors.

    7. Faculty votes 'no confidence' in president by a two to one margin.

    8. President says, in effect, 'No big deal," and demotes or fires the two professors who outed him.

    9. Two other faculty quit in protest, and life goes on.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 13, 2002
  8. bgossett

    bgossett New Member

  9. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    11. Board meets to consider renaming the graduate school of divinity, which is currently named for the newly-resigned president. Bakker, Swaggert, or Hargis not an option at this time, they say.
     
  10. The Naval War College handbook also warns of the possibility of court-martial for plagiarism or cheating offenses, carrying the implicit idea that-- while unlikely-- an officer could conceiveably spend some time in Stony Lonesome on his way out of the Service for pulling a stunt like that one.

    That'd put a whole new "bite" to the Academic Honesty policies at civilian schools if they could just find some way to implement it...
     
  11. OracleGuy

    OracleGuy New Member

    The ability to easily cheat on Kennedy-Western exams was the final eye-opener for me. K-W's online testing consists of a downloaded file that is run on your home PC. There is no proctor present, it's all honor system. Besides the open book format, there's nothing preventing you from googling an answer online or phoning a friend!

    Of course, you click a check box certifying that you will not stoop to such lows. Ya, right.

    Cheers...Randy
     

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