Re: Would like to find study group for computer science comprehensive exams.

On Oct 23, 1:51 pm, Patricia Shanahan <p...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
eternalsqu...@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
On Oct 23, 11:40 am, Patricia Shanahan <p...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
tc...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
In article <ffj3sn$2gj...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Patricia Shanahan <p...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Why not write questions that require the student to demonstrate
understanding, and let us use whatever resources we want?
For a lot of courses, it's unfortunately fairly difficult to create problems
that "test understanding" that are still solvable by the average student in
a couple of hours. Say you're a professor and you come up with a few good
problems like that for your exam. The next year, your students will bring
answers to those questions with them to the exam, having inherited them from
the students who took the class with you last time. Copying the answers
doesn't test understanding, but how do you block that?
...

Change the question in a subtle way that looks rather like the previous
question.

If someone has memorized or brought with them (depending on closed or
open book) a series of answers to previous questions they will reproduce
the answer to the old question and get it wrong.

If they have memorized or brought with them (depending on closed or open
book) basic facts and formulas and really solve the exam problems, they
will get it right.

For computer science theory, I've seen problems made more difficult by
leaving to the student the choice of which of two contradictory
propositions to prove. For example, a question might define a language
L, and then ask the student "Prove either that L is NP-complete or that
L is not NP-complete.". Subtle changes in the language definition change
which proposition is provable.

Patricia

I do NOT believe this! I try to make a simple request, and all I do
is trigger
a flame war. Look folks, I was just trying to find some help. If you
all have
the time to flame each other, perhaps you can spare a little to help
me out.
And I will pay. Please email eternalsquire AT hotmail DOT com if you
are
interested.

First of all, I have absolutely no intention of flaming anyone. I'm sure
that the people who set closed book tests do so with the best of
intentions - I just think they are misguided.

You may be making a mistake in asking for future help. You might do
better to wait until you have a computer theory question, then post it
with an explanation that you are doing individual study in preparation
for a CS Ph.D. program.

I participate in newsgroups when I feel like it, and have time. I can
disappear completely from Usenet when I have a paper deadline or similar
issue, and nobody even notices. That is very different from making a
commitment to help someone at unknown dates in the future.

As it happens, this week I have to keep the TV on because I live in San
Diego and there are major wildfires that could turn towards my house.
I'm not concentrating well enough to work on my grant proposal...

If you post a computer theory question here, the odds are that someone
who is active in the newsgroup at the time will know the answer and respond

Patricia- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I beg your pardon. As it happens, I have ordered "Introduction to
The Theory of Computation"
by Sipser, which will arrive in 3 weeks, and I intend to go over each
and every question
in the back of every chapter. Hopefully my posting an attempt at a
proof won't violate
copyright laws.

.

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