CompuServe Messages

John (and Jayson): I tried all sorts of methods to track the cheating possibility, but in the end, I was doing a lot of extra work and not being very effective. It put the students on the defensive, and I hated being in that position. I decided to be honest with them on the first day of class, and tell them that if they wanted to cheat, go ahead, but it was only hurting themselves in the long run. They'll do poorly on the exams, and if they got caught, I would show no mercy. The first offense earns them a big fat zero for all involved parties and a stern warning. The second offense earns them an immediate failing grade in the class. Luckily, I've never had this happen. Interestingly enough, the students that get caught in the first offense almost without exception fail the class anyway, because they do so badly in the exams. Cheating on CAD homeworks is often very apparent and easy to spot. I do all my grading in class on the screens, but occasionally I'll have them hand in a plot of their work. I grade these over a light table, overlaying anything that looks suspiciously similar. I've been amazed a few times at what students will hand in thinking I won't notice that they're exact copies of other's work. -KLF