Re: PROGRAMMING HOMEWORK HELP!

From: Darrell Grainger (darrell_at_NOMORESPAMcs.utoronto.ca.com)
Date: 03/28/04

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    Date: 28 Mar 2004 17:46:37 GMT

    On Sat, 27 Mar 2004, Michael Mendelsohn wrote:

    > Darrell Grainger schrieb:
    > > Homework is how a student proves to the school that they understand the
    > > concepts they have been taught. If you do their homework for them, they
    > > are proving that you understand the concepts that have been taught.
    >
    > This is true only if the homework is graded.
    > Homework should be a set of exercises that teach the student how to
    > apply the theoretical skills aquired through the lecture.
    >
    > Grading homework is a two-edged sword:
    > While it increases student's motivation to do the practical work and
    > makes his grade for the course easier to predict (and not depend so much
    > on the performance in the few minutes of a single examination), it
    > provides strong incentive for the student not completing his homework
    > himself if he feels doing so would merit a weak grade.
    >
    > Thus the requirements of learning and examining are contradictory.

    Quite true. Schools have the dilemma of grading or not grading. If I do
    not grade the student, how do we know if the student has understood the
    requisite knowledge? Many students feel that the grading of their
    knowledge is a punishment. The truth of the matter is that the school
    evaluates the students knowledge to see if they are ready to move to the
    next level. If the student is not they need more time. Unfortunately, this
    means taking the course again. In an ideal world, each student would be
    able to work at their own pace. Rather than evaluating all students at the
    same time the school could leave it to the student to decide when they are
    ready to be evaluated.

    > It is especially hard to pace a programming course, as some students
    > with previous programming background will find the exercises easy, while
    > others find them hard. Cheating on the assignments can provide an
    > opportunity to be ensured a passing grade (and thus avoid the necessity
    > of halting one's other eduction for a year); a responsible student will
    > then use this opportunity to learn programming at his/her own pace.

    I find it rare that things work out this way. Even if the student intends
    on using the opportunity to learn programming at his or her own pace they
    really just slip further and further behind. The student will cheat on the
    first year courses but still enroll in all the second year courses. What
    ends up happening is the student is still mastering the first year
    material when he needs to apply it to the second year material. This makes
    passing the second year courses even more difficult then passing the first
    year courses.

    When I went to univesity my school let the students pick how many courses
    they wanted to take. There was no need to get a four year degree in four
    years. Or you could take courses in the summer to keep pace. So if it took
    me twice as long as you to grasp the material I could take 2.5 credits a
    year rather than 5.0 credits a year.

    > Should one demand morality of students in the face of an unfair system?
    > In earlier decades, one would have argued that this provided incentive
    > to stand up and protest and change the system, but given today's
    > climate, this idea seems impractical.

    Has anything really changed? I talk to students who think things are
    against them. They are afraid to ask questions or challenge the system.
    Don't be. Don't wait until you feel like you have no other option than to
    cheat. Talk to people. Find out what other options you have. If a student
    tells me they cannot handle the work load then I tell them to take on less
    of a workload. If they WANT to complete their degree at the same pace as
    the student with a prior programming background, that is too bad. You
    don't always get what you want.

    Maybe it is different where you are but have you asked people why the
    system is set up the way it is? Maybe the school didn't understand how
    they were being unfair to some students. If no one talks to them they will
    never know. Failing to point out a problem with the system, that you see,
    is your fault. You are responsible for bring problems to the attention of
    the people who can fix them.

    > Michael
    > --
    > Feel the stare of my burning hamster and stop smoking!
    > 

    -- 
Send e-mail to: darrell at cs dot toronto dot edu
Don't send e-mail to vice.president@whitehouse.gov
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