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From: das@CS.UCLA.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Cheating vs. Learning
Message-ID: <6184@shemp.UCLA.EDU>
Date: Fri, 22-May-87 04:08:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: shemp.6184
Posted: Fri May 22 04:08:33 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 23-May-87 14:46:29 EDT
References: <170800003@uiucdcsb> <235@sas.UUCP> <863@gvax.cs.cornell.edu> <305@phoenix.PRINCETON.EDU>
Sender: root@CS.UCLA.EDU
Reply-To: das@CS.UCLA.EDU (David Smallberg)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 32

In article <305@phoenix.PRINCETON.EDU> mmtowfig (Mark Mehdi Towfigh) writes:
>In article <863@gvax.cs.cornell.edu> hal (Hal Perkins) writes:
>	Re: Cheating is a problem only for cheaters.   
>>Alas, this isn't true.  
>>The real problem is that it also hurts the students who do their own
>>work, and whose grades can suffer if someone else cheats.
>
>Actually, cheating is a problem for people who care more about grades
>than what they learn in the course.

Not exactly -- cheaters can hurt even those who do not care about grades, just
learning.  Here's a scenario:  Fred squeaks by with a C.S. degree from XYZ U.,
having relied heavily on the (sometimes unknowing) assistance of others.  He
gets a programming job with a small company.  He's not a very good programmer,
but his background from XYZ U. looked good.  Ricky, from ABC U., had a similar
(but honest) record as good as Fred's, and he's a good programmer.

Some time later, Ethel, who also graduated from XYZ U. with a similar (but
honest) record to Fred's applies to the same company.  She's in competition
with Lucy, from ABC U., who appears almost as good.  For many small companies,
I'll bet Lucy will get the job, because the people hiring will say "XYZ U. has
laxer standards than ABC U. (compare Fred to Ricky), so we should favor the
student from ABC U."

Thus, a cheater has hurt other students from his school in the competition for
jobs, because he has cheapened the reputation of his school's graduates.  A
small company that has hired few programmers in the past may have little else
to go on than that reputation.

-- David Smallberg, das@cs.ucla.edu, {sdcrdcf,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!das

-- David Smallberg, das@cs.ucla.edu, {sdcrdcf,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!das