Last week the Red and Black published an interesting article on cheating and file-sharing. The article cited a Stanford study that reported an increase in cheating in computer science classes and an increase in cheating allegations. Both of these were attributed to more advanced technology. Students have become more savvy at copying files and extracting information from online sources. Faculty and administrators have also improved in tracking reports to databases of published works. Ah technology you double edged sword!

So how do we as instructors help our students avoid the temptation of easily obtainable online papers, cut-and-paste plagiarism, and file sharing? I was fortunate to find one answer to this question last week, just 2 days after reading the article, when I participated in a large-lecture course (almost 300 students). Students were to prepare an in-class group summary on information they had researched prior to class. The instructor was very explicit in her description of what constitutes plagiarism, giving examples of a well cited and a plagiarised paragraph on a PowerPoint slide to show the students exactly what was expected of them. The students were a bit surprised, but took the information to heart and wrote well-cited summaries.

In addition, to the academic honesty statement on the syllabus, I think this is a great way to reach students. We can best teach by example, especially with students who are used to instant access to information, and may not think of accrediting those sources. What other methods do you employ?

Privacy in the Classroom

In my first blog I mentioned my discomfort with the idea of blogging. This is not only due to having write, but also with having to release my thoughts (in writing) into the world. In my last blog the issue of my identity came up. In another class, we learned that the university is previewing a facebook app. The app will allow you to chat with other people taking courses in the same subject, e.g. all math or all bio , unlike the learning management systems such as blackboard or webct, where you can chat just within your course.

So all these things relate to the issue of privacy. With a name that is a little more unique than let's say "Jane Smith", I am hesitant to publish under my name. I am also hesitant to add any professional (including course related) information to my facebook account. We read about people who's information online have impeded the progress of their careers. On the other hand, I am learning so much from writing this blog and reading the blogs of my classmates. In a discussion with other grad students, several mentioned using facebook as a professional networking site, as well as for personal reasons.

Were do you stand? Would you use an educational/professional app in facebook, or another social networking site? Do you feel comfortable sharing your ideas in an open and public forum? How comfortable would you be communicating with classmates or your own students via facebook? How comfortable do you think current freshmen would be with this situation?

By the way, if you lean towards the more open side of things, then i guess you are already buzzing? Buzz is google's new social networking tool, yet another way to stay connected and share.