Following Cheating Scandals, Harvard Dean of Undergrad Ed Visits CS50 Class and Tells Students Not To Cheat (thecrimson.com)

theodp writes: After a flood of cheating cases roiled Harvard's Computer Science 50: "Introduction to Computer Science I" last year, Dean of Undergraduate Education Jay Harris implored students in the course not to cheat on assignments at an orientation session Wednesday night. Course head David Malan, the Harvard Crimson reports, spent the last five minutes of the orientation session fielding questions from students confused about the course's collaboration policy and whether or not CS50 enrollees are allowed to use code found online. He told them never to Google solutions, and never to borrow a friend's work. Last week, CS50 students were informed via a CS50 FAQ that they are also now "encouraged" to physically attend the course's taped weekly lectures. In an essay last year, Prof. Malan had questioned the value of saying everyone should attend every lecture. Attendance is now also expected at every discussion section until the first mid-semester exam. In case you're curious, the estimated sticker price for attending Harvard College during the 2017-2018 school year is $69,600-$73,600 (health insurance sold separately).

Comments

Re: Do people go to Harvard to program?

[Anonymous Coward]

Harvard does actually have a very well regarded CS program, and it's wishful thinking that you can get as good at any state school. I recently worked with someone just out of Harvard CS who was phenomenal, and he actually explained to me that CS50 is not actually part of the Comp Sci program, it's a programming class for non-CS (hence being sub-100 level).

Sticker price?

[argStyopa]

"..In case you're curious, the estimated sticker price for attending Harvard College during the 2017-2018 school year is $69,600-$73,600 ..."

Let's be clear, the sticker price ..really only applies to white and Asian hetero males.

Re:How I do it

[XxtraLarGe]

Watching a lecture and then getting one on one time for things you don't understand or follow has got to be the greatest idea ever and would be the greatest improvement to the education system if implemented across the board.

While I'd like to claim credit for it, it's called a flipped classroom, and it's being implemented all over the place. It is also very helpful that I have a small class. It is much more difficult if I have more than a dozen or so students.