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by Chardok
3268 days ago
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Too right; it may help being able to just provide the answers, but homework made up a small percentage compared to the actual exams, which of course were done without any notes and were simple enough not to need a calculator. It may be difficult trying to teach these kids how to perform the math itself when they can show the homework, but ultimately they are failing themselves when it comes down to needing a fundamental understanding on the process itself. This reminds me more of teachers scoffing at calculators being a crutch. It comes down to the students' willingness to learn, not how to thwart cheating on homework. |
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One of the easiest ways to inflate grades without explicitly lowering standards is to decrease the proportion of the final grade that depends on the midterm and final. Cut out the midterm for "more instruction time" and leave a 20% final. Homework is now worth an absurd 80% of the grade... that's no good. Throw in a project, participation, or auto-graded "e-labs" with infinite attempts. Suddenly it's really difficult to get anything less than a B unless you really just don't give a crap. But also kinda difficult to actually learn because So. Much. Busy. Work. And, on top of everything else, we're punishing the one student who's not cheating.
Any time I see a lower division syllabus where closed-book exams are worth less than 40% of the grade, I'm instantly suspicious.
> but ultimately they are failing themselves when it comes down to needing a fundamental understanding on the process itself.
Yup.
> It comes down to the students' willingness to learn, not how to thwart cheating on homework.
In fact, you can leverage the calculator or WA to teach the material at greater depth. No longer need lots of practice with trig identities or u substitution? Great. Maybe we can write a few proofs instead, or use the time to work through a large case study.