Cheating in college

Next test: essay and short answer. (depending on # of students you have).

 

Quick story, freshman year.

Someone close to me (ummm, call him Jim) finds out that their best friend wrote the english "how-to" essay last quarter for English 1 and got an "A" on "how to make beer." So Jim decides to sorta copy. Gets "A-".

Next quarter, guys are all sitting around someone's dorm room and talk about "how-to" essay for English 1 and Mike says "I used Keith's essay too!" and Jim says "I got an A-, that guy Jamie is pretty easy". Mike's smile fades instantaneously (Priceless memory). Turns out Mike's TA is Jamie too. What to do? Guys tell him to fess up to TA. He does and gets to redo docked one grade.

 

My students are an interesting bunch. They are all freshman, so it's an adjustment for a lot of them in getting used to a higher standard than high school. I still get some handwritten essays turned in, even though I wrote in the syllabus and told them handwritten work is not accepted.

Getting them to do a Powerpoint slide for their speeches was an ordeal, as well. A few said they didn't have Powerpoint at home and seemed put off when I told them the computer labs have everything they need.

 

Who the hell writes an essay by hand? I can't believe you even have to put that in a syllabus.