Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83 based; site hou2h.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!houxm!hou2h!mr From: mr@hou2h.UUCP (M.RINDSBERG) Newsgroups: net.unix,net.cse Subject: Re: students editing output Message-ID: <1051@hou2h.UUCP> Date: Fri, 20-Sep-85 14:01:14 EDT Article-I.D.: hou2h.1051 Posted: Fri Sep 20 14:01:14 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 21-Sep-85 04:49:08 EDT References: <433@uvm-cs.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ Lines: 41 Xref: watmath net.unix:5693 net.cse:459 > We have two VAXen here running 4.2, and besides faculty and graduate student > research, we have some classes on the machines. Although interactive use with > full-screen editors is a giant leap forward from the not-so-distant past of > batch submission using cards, the latter did have the advantage of some security > that the students hadn't tailored their output with an editor to be more > correct. I do not mean to sound like I am assuming that all students would > take advantage of this feature, but I have heard rumors from some of the > students in classes I have taught in the past that a little of this did go on. > I can see the temptation arising the night before an assignment is due and the > program doesn't work. There the (incorrect) output sits in a file, and all the > professor wants is the output file printed on a terminal along with a listing. > Who's to know if it is edited a little to change those incorrect numbers .... Sort of a flame. If the assignment is simple enough to be calculated by hand, then it is nonsensical to assign a person to perform this on a computer. One of the duties of a professor of computer science is also to teach when, and when not to use a computer for a given task. end of flame. > I am wondering if there are batch submission systems out there running under > 4.2 BSD that are integrated with the line-printer spooling system. A student > would gather up program source and input data along with a shell script on > how to compile, load, and go, and submit it to the batch server. The output > would automatically go to a printer, offering some assurance that it hadn't > been tweaked. Lets go backwards instead of forwards. > The only way I know of to check a student's work is go through a demo. But > this is terribly time consuming, and it is hard to set a precise due date > (unless you check file modification times). File modification times can be changed easily with a standard unix utility. > What do other people do? Thanks. They don't worry about this. Mark Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com