PPCs and exams.

[maximus]

For those of you who are currently a student, I am curious whether your school/university allows students to bring a PPC into exam room or not. I currently do a pro-bono job teaching journalism/photography in a local university down here, and to my surprise, a student pulls out a PPC (with GPRS card installed) in my exam room, plug a headset into his ear (acting as if he is listening to music) and start browsing PDFs. He apparently scanned the journalism textbook that we currently covered on the exam, put it on a webserver, and browse it online during the exam. Mind you, owning a webserver is still very rare in this country.

(and he thought that I dont understand what a PPC equipped with GPRS card can do). :devilboy: When I caught him, he tried to convince me that the PPC is merely an MP3 player .... So, I pulled out my axim with GPRS card, and show it to him. His face was so blue, he was shocked and ashamed .. and I almost laughed when I saw that face.

I currently have to decide what to do with him. As a technophile to another, I felt that I have the obligation to lighten up a bit on him, since he has shown a creativity factor that is far beyond his peers'. Afterall, creativity is the single most important factor in journalism/photography world. ... Any thoughts ?

[JustinGTP]

Yeah, and, when you come back to reality, think of how you would have felt if you were a student and one of your peers had not done a bit of work in the class. While you worked your ass off, and while he cheated, he got a better mark than you did.

-Justin.

[Godsongz]

Ethics. Your student showed none, will you?

[Pat Logsdon]

Creativity is great, but cheating is still cheating. Isn't there some saying about honesty in journalism? If he gets away with cheating now, what's he going to do in the future?

I think that letting him get away with it is a bad precedent to set, and I'm sure he knows that what he did was wrong, as evidenced by his trying to weasel out of it with the "MP3 Player" argument. I think you should make him take the test again, within a very short time period, sans any electronics, and with no one else in the room but yourself. :mrgreen:

And you should look as mean as possible. :wink:

[JustinGTP]

And make the test harder and different from the original!

[srs]

ummmm...

a 0 on the exam at the very least, can go up to failing the entire course.

cheating is cheating is cheating. to be fair to the honest students this should be the minimum punishment. It will be a lesson well learned for him.

he's the type who gives technology a bad name :evil:

[PetiteFlower]

I agree, make him take the test again(a new test of course!) minus technology. Maybe tell him the best grade you will give him for the retest is a C(25 points off the top of his score); if he doesn't show up for the retest then he gets a 0.

And inform the rest of your class that PDAs will not be allowed on the desk during tests, so no one can say they didn't know any better!

[masaki]

Cheating is cheating. There is no excuse.

Instructors I have (had) don't allow any computer aids like Pocket PCs EVEN when it is an open book exam/test. You can use text books or notes. It's impossible to keep track of what exactly you're doing on the PPC. Heck, using instant messenging is easy enough for students to exchange answers.

[Jeff Rutledge]

I agree, make him take the test again(a new test of course!) minus technology. Maybe tell him the best grade you will give him for the retest is a C(25 points off the top of his score); if he doesn't show up for the retest then he gets a 0.

And inform the rest of your class that PDAs will not be allowed on the desk during tests, so no one can say they didn't know any better!

I like this suggestion. I'd consider taking more than 25% off though, depending on how much longer he's had to study now compared to the rest of the class.

[Janak Parekh]

I generally agree that the cheater shouldn't get much slack. I'm teaching a class right now, and my exams are open-book, so your precise scenario doesn't apply to me; but if I were to catch a student communicating with another student, for example, during an exam, both students would get an immediate referral to the dean and an immediate zero. If it's a higher-tech solution, it means they actively took the time to devise a cheating mechanism, which means it was premeditated. In my opinion, that's worse than someone who "accidentally" glances at the paper next to them -- in those cases, I usually give them exactly one chance to remedy their behavior.

What I want to know is why did he bother with a GPRS card? Why not copy it onto a CF card in the first place?

--janak

[dean_shan]

Playing games is one thing, but when it is test time devices must be off. (This coming from a student)

[maximus]

What I want to know is why did he bother with a GPRS card? Why not copy it onto a CF card in the first place?

--janak

Good point. I was wondering about that myself. My guess is, other than online viewing the PDFs, he also needs to consult with his friend using GPRS. I would love to see the kid's GPRS bill. Downloading PDFs via GPRS must have cost him a bundle.

[GoldKey]

If you grade on a curve, he was really cheating the whole class. How about giving them a say in the punishment. :twisted:

[ux4484]

Didn't Kirk pass the Kobioshi-Maru by reprogramming the simulation computer so there could be a positive resolution? ;) :D

[GoldKey]

Didn't Kirk pass the Kobioshi-Maru by reprogramming the simulation computer so there could be a positive resolution? ;) :D

However, since that was really a personality test, was it really cheating?

[famousdavis]

This is more than just cheating -- it's academic dishonesty. At my university, each student was required to sign an affadavit attesting that they would not be involved in any academic dishonesty.

I'd say that giving the student another exam -- or even a 0 on his exam -- is too lenient. More appropriate, I think, is to discharge him from the class entirely, no refund. He'll take the class next semester (graduation plans notwithstanding) and have to pay for the class tuition again.

If it's his first offense (you know it isn't -- it may be the first time he got caught, but not the first time he ever cheated), I'd give him a W on his report card if he exhibited true regret, and an F if he denied his actions -- plus place a note on his academic record.

Any future offenses would cause him to be expelled from the school, period.

[Janak Parekh]

If it's his first offense (you know it isn't -- it may be the first time he got caught, but not the first time he ever cheated), I'd give him a W on his report card if he exhibited true regret, and an F if he denied his actions -- plus place a note on his academic record.
Right, but this is not typically something an instructor can do at a university -- the case should be, as I mentioned, referred to an academic Dean, and they generally weigh the merits and the punishment on a case.

--janak

[PetiteFlower]

What I want to know is why did he bother with a GPRS card? Why not copy it onto a CF card in the first place?

Possibly in case someone were to browse the files on the PPC he could say that they were not on there?

Of course if that's the case then it's a lot shadier what he did.

From what I've heard from teacher friends of mine, even if you give the cheater a chance to retake the test, 50 bucks says he wouldn't even show up to take the retest. My ex-boyfriend told me a couple years ago that one of his (high school) students handed in a paper he copied off the internet--not even paraphrased! He was only a student teacher at the time so he didn't want to just fail the kid; he gave him 1 week to write a new paper for partial credit, and the kid didn't even bother with it. Brat :)

I would say though that if you had not established a clear policy ahead of time that PDAs were not allowed to be used during tests, your ground is not *quite* as firm, that's why I said offer him a partial credit retest. Then when he doesn't show up for it you can give him the zero :)

[Janak Parekh]

I would say though that if you had not established a clear policy ahead of time that PDAs were not allowed to be used during tests, your ground is not *quite* as firm, that's why I said offer him a partial credit retest. Then when he doesn't show up for it you can give him the zero :)
Well, if the exam was closed-book, that precludes ANY way of viewing the reference material, be it on paper or on a PDA. The fact that he was browsing the book in the PDF viewer makes it nonambiguous.

--janak

[upplepop]

I would like to remind you that there MAY be a valid reason for using a Pocket PC on a test (not that I am defending this student's actions). Some students may want to save money by having a scientific/financial/graphing calculator program instead of lugging around a dedicated device. Students (especially foreigners) may want to have a dictionary, thesaurus, and/or translator available for tests. Furthermore, I've been in finance classes that would allow students to use a spreadsheet program for calculations and tables. After all, this versitility and usefulness is why we got PPCs, remember?

[dean_shan]

I see your point upplepop but he was not doing that. He was using it to cheat and look at the book.

[GoldKey]

plug a headset into his ear (acting as if he is listening to music) and start browsing PDFs. He apparently scanned the journalism textbook that we currently covered on the exam, put it on a webserver, and browse it online during the exam. Mind you, owning a webserver is still very rare in this country.

Is listening to music OK during a test? I would think a) unless extremely low volume, it could be disturbing to others during a test b) couldn't someone audio record notes and be listening to those instead

Also, how long was this textbook he scanned? How hard was this test/class that he felt the need to scan the whole book for a test? Seems that energy/talent could better have been used just to study. I had lots of classes in school that allowed open book. Of course for well written tests it did not matter. I always hated tests that just asked for a regurgitation :pukeface: of facts from a text. Better tests asked you to apply what you learned from books/lectures. Having memorized facts from a book won't help you in the real world. Knowing how to apply knowledge will.

[maximus]

Is listening to music OK during a test? I would think a) unless extremely low volume, it could be disturbing to others during a test b) couldn't someone audio record notes and be listening to those instead

Well, there is a lot of grey areas in the universities policy/regulation, especially in the techno areas ... I would say taht most lecturer here will let students listen to music during exams, as long as this activity does not distract others.

It is a thin 400 pages textbook. After a closer look at his webpage, actually he is not viewing PDFs. He is viewing text files. Looking at the common typo error, I think they are OCR generated. Quite an advanced software, only minor errors in recognizing 'o' and 'a' ...

It is basically a case study exam, but they still needs to memorize facts from the text book, and then apply them into the study cases. All fifth year classes are designed to be case studies (Yes, undergraduate is a 5 year program in this country).

[GoldKey]

It is basically a case study exam, but they still needs to memorize facts from the text book, and then apply them into the study cases. All fifth year classes are designed to be case studies (Yes, undergraduate is a 5 year program in this country).

Cheating is cheating, but what is the real point of making them memorize facts? All that does is test their memory skills which has nothing to do with intelligence or comprehension of a particular subject. I would much rather have employees that have crappy memory's and excellent abilities to apply knowledge than the other way around. Frankly I think to many classes emphasize raw memorization of facts than critical thinking and true knowledge.

Of course, I am biased as I have a poor memory. :wink:

[PetiteFlower]

I don't think any of that really matters.....we're not here to critique his testing style after all!

[maximus]

Well anyway, I already reported the incident to the dean's office. The dean, who is a very wise 70+ years old man, was so shocked to learn that the 'little device called PPC', can easily store 10+ textbooks on its 'tiny little thing called CF card' ... He agrees to retest the student, no electronics, -30 grade (good idea, Petite!).

He also mentioned to me that some of his students also use 'devices similar to this one' during his exams. Well, bad news for the students, the dean is going to pass a policy to ban all electronic devices on school's premises (for students, of course). A classic example how several rotten eggs can bring the whole community backward.

To my surprise, the dean observed the PPC carefully, and asked me about the functionality. He seems to be very interested in PPC. He mentioned that he has been looking for a small device that he can use to read his email for quite sometimes already, but he does not want a laptop. ... Today, I converted one more people into the PPC world :D Of course I gave him an implicit hint to stay away from palm :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[Dave Beauvais]

... Well, bad news for the students, the dean is going to pass a policy to ban all electronic devices on school's premises (for students, of course). ...
That is, indeed, bad news. I could understand not allowing their use in a classroom environment during a test, but to ban their use entirely seems a little extreme. Pocket PCs have countless useful -- and perfectly legitimate -- uses for students. Note-taking, scheduling, music to listen to during walks between classes, etc. If possible, I'd urge you to try to get the Dean to reconsider his decision and not ban Pocket PCs, Palms, and other electronic devices entirely.

--Dave

[famousdavis]

Dave Beauvais wrote:

If possible, I'd urge you to try to get the Dean to reconsider his decision and not ban Pocket PCs, Palms, and other electronic devices entirely.

I agree with Dave. It would be a shame to ban such a useful piece of technology from the classroom. A better -- more ACADEMIC -- approach would be to consider how integrating PDAs into the classroom could be useful, not detrimental, to the teaching methods being used.

[Jacob]

I would like to remind you that there MAY be a valid reason for using a Pocket PC on a test (not that I am defending this student's actions). Some students may want to save money by having a scientific/financial/graphing calculator program instead of lugging around a dedicated device. Students (especially foreigners) may want to have a dictionary, thesaurus, and/or translator available for tests. Furthermore, I've been in finance classes that would allow students to use a spreadsheet program for calculations and tables. After all, this versitility and usefulness is why we got PPCs, remember?

I would agree to allow PPC's under those circumstances in tests IF you could verify that those are the only applications on the device.

I would say in general that even MP3 players shouldn't be allowed - period. Who's to say that the Metallica-MasterOfPuppets.mp3 file you have there isn't really "MeReadingOffTheImportantpartsofATextbook.mp3" in a renamed file?

[famousdavis]

Jacob, I agree with you!

When I took my Finance class a few years ago, I brought my HP business calculator loaded with financial formulas that I pecked in over the course of the semester. Beforehand, I asked my teacher whether it was okay for me to use the calculator, because no one was allowed to bring in a piece of paper with the formulas written down (eg, you had to memorize the formulas or else a non-programmable business/scientific calculator would be no good). Much to my delight, my instructor said that if I had taken the time to input the formulas, validate they work correctly, and knew how to use the calculator to apply the right formula to the problem, I was welcome to do so on the exam.

I aced my Finance class that semester! :D

It made sense to me that a student should be able to bring in an electronic device with custom-inputted formulas to the examination room. In real life, you wouldn't necessarily be expected to remember every financial formula -- it's more important to know what formula to use for a particular problem, and now how to input the variables correctly to yield a right result.

The instructor would have been justified, though, in prohibiting my calculator and insisting that I memorize all the financial formulas. It just happened I had an instructor who was favorably disposed to handheld technology.

In sum -- there is certainly a place for handheld computing in the schoolroom. There is also a place where such devices don't belong, either. The school administration and instructors need to act with discernment to rightly segregate the two situations from each other.

[maximus]

That is, indeed, bad news. I could understand not allowing their use in a classroom environment during a test, but to ban their use entirely seems a little extreme. Pocket PCs have countless useful -- and perfectly legitimate -- uses for students. Note-taking, scheduling, music to listen to during walks between classes, etc. If possible, I'd urge you to try to get the Dean to reconsider his decision and not ban Pocket PCs, Palms, and other electronic devices entirely.
--Dave

Actually I tried to convince him to ban electronics during exams only. I think the dean is currently trying to play it safe, and hopefully he will tone down the banning a bit.

Some students of mine complained already, they need their mobilephone to communicate with their parents, etc. And I told them that they can use the device for outgoing calls only.

[Jacob]

Some students of mine complained already, they need their mobilephone to communicate with their parents, etc. And I told them that they can use the device for outgoing calls only.

I would personally ban phones for sure in a classroom at any time - there are times where you just don't need to call someone.

[Janak Parekh]

I would personally ban phones for sure in a classroom at any time - there are times where you just don't need to call someone.
Well, it's a university. If someone needs to make a phone call, just step outside. I wouldn't tolerate a phone conversation IN CLASS by any means.

--janak

[Dave Beauvais]

Well, it's a university. If someone needs to make a phone call, just step outside. I wouldn't tolerate a phone conversation IN CLASS by any means.
One of the professors I had in my last quarter of college had a hilarious policy. If a cell phone rang in class, he would answer it -- in front of the entire class. It made for some very entertaining moments. :) He talked with peoples' parents, girl/boyfriends, etc.

"Tim isn't available right now."

"I'm his professor."

"Yes, really."

"Well, he can't really talk right now, since we're in the middle of my lecture. I'll tell him to give you a call back when we're done here, okay?"

He had told us to turn our phones off in class, and this was his way of trying to convince us to do so. When a phone rang for the sixth time during the quarter, however, he kinda went off on us. (I would have, too... I mean, that's just rude. If you have to leave your phone on in a meeting or during class, at least have the courtesy of switching it to silent or vibrate mode.

--Dave

[Janak Parekh]

One of the professors I had in my last quarter of college had a hilarious policy. If a cell phone rang in class, he would answer it -- in front of the entire class. It made for some very entertaining moments. :) He talked with peoples' parents, girl/boyfriends, etc.
I've heard about these. I don't have the balls to do that yet. Maybe if I'm a full tenured faculty one day. :lol:

--janak

[maximus]

One of the professors I had in my last quarter of college had a hilarious policy. If a cell phone rang in class, he would answer it -- in front of the entire class. It made for some very entertaining moments. :) He talked with peoples' parents, girl/boyfriends, etc.
I've heard about these. I don't have the balls to do that yet. Maybe if I'm a full tenured faculty one day. :lol:

--janak

You mean, the professor physically grabbed the mobile phone from student's hand ? That was a fun idea. :D Well, I am on pro-bono basis anyway, which means I should be safe doing things like that. :mrgreen:

[dean_shan]

A lot of you sound like you are professors. Just how many of you on this thread are?

[Janak Parekh]

A lot of you sound like you are professors. Just how many of you on this thread are?
I'm not a professor, just an instructor. When I finish my Ph.D. I might become a "real" professor. ;)

--janak

[Dave Beauvais]

You mean, the professor physically grabbed the mobile phone from student's hand ? ...
Well no, not exactly. He always asked the embarassed student, "may I answer that?" Nobody ever said no, much to the delight of the rest of the class. ;) The student handed the prof the still-ringing phone, and the professor answered the call simply by saying "hello?" He let the conversation take its own course from that point on. :)

--Dave

[maximus]

You mean, the professor physically grabbed the mobile phone from student's hand ? ...
Well no, not exactly. He always asked the embarassed student, "may I answer that?" Nobody ever said no, much to the delight of the rest of the class. ;) The student handed the prof the still-ringing phone, and the professor answered the call simply by saying "hello?" He let the conversation take its own course from that point on. :)

--Dave

That is really interesting. :D I will try doing that the next time I hear n incoming call during my class. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Doh. I just remembered that all electronics are currently banned.

A lot of you sound like you are professors. Just how many of you on this thread are?

Like Janak, I am still far away from being a professor. For me it is just a hobby thing. If I can spare the time to do that on periodic basis, I might take a part-time job.