Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site bu-cs.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!bu-cs!root From: root@bu-cs.UUCP (Barry Shein) Newsgroups: net.unix,net.cse Subject: Re: students editing output Message-ID: <659@bu-cs.UUCP> Date: Sat, 21-Sep-85 18:32:04 EDT Article-I.D.: bu-cs.659 Posted: Sat Sep 21 18:32:04 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 23-Sep-85 00:12:21 EDT References: <433@uvm-cs.UUCP> <236@uwai.UUCP> <1627@ihuxl.UUCP>, <7@ubc-cs.UUCP> Organization: Boston Univ Comp. Sci. Lines: 35 Xref: watmath net.unix:5704 net.cse:463 A good point was hidden in one of these messages just now (should I be sorry for not dragging the whole message out and inserting '>'? is this plagirism???) I use a simple check, a student can not pass most of my classes without satisfactory grades on exams. Exams are closed book and I make it quite clear (and design the questions such) that the primary purpose of my exams is to put the person who is getting too much help on the homeworks (none of these remarks have even begun to deal with the computer-whiz friend not in the class who is actually turning out the student's assignments, I bet more common than editing output, few students in trouble with an assignment can resist asking a friend for a 'little' help) at a distinct disadvantage. For freshman/sophomore classes I basically use: 50% homeworks 25% midterm 25% final with maybe a little twiddling (15% mid, 35% final.) That insures me that a student who is not learning from the homeworks is not likely to pass the exams (and hence, the course, perfect homework assignments alone would not earn a passing grade, nor exams alone.) I think students who do their homework in my classes generally find my exams a breeze and those that do not do their own homework I have seen cry 'unfair'. As I said, I make this clear before the first exam. If they can get someone else to do their homeworks and pass the exams then I am not sure what the problem is, they learned the material obviously (I know, some moral work-ethic being violated here maybe.) Sound fair enough? The tricky part is just designing the homeworks and exams to work together (but that's what you should be doing.) -Barry Shein, Boston University Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com