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

Well, that solves that!

[aardvarkjoe]

The problem was that nobody told the students not to cheat. Now that that little misunderstanding has been cleared up, the problem is fixed.

How I do it

[XxtraLarGe]

Right now, I'm teaching a Web Programming & Database integration course. I do a flipped classroom model where I record the lecture, and we work on the homework in class. They can do the homework before class, but they have to show me their code & explain it before they hand it in. That way, I can catch any errors they have before they hand it in, and answer questions that they run into if they haven't finished it yet. I also know that they're doing their own work.

Also, if I see a common issue, I can do a 5 minute "mini lecture" to give an example technique in front of the class. If I come across a common issue after things have been submitted, I can do a 5 minute recorded lecture to reinforce what they should do in the future in that situation. Seems to work out well for my students.

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.

Re:Do people go to Harvard to program?

[ShanghaiBill]

you can get a CS degree at any state school and they are far cheaper and just as good.

No, they are not just as good. A degree from Harvard will open a lot of doors. Not only because of the reputation, but also because of the alumni network.

It's not as if the faculty at Harvard are somehow better

It is not the faculty that is better, or the instruction, but the classmates. They learn a lot from each other. Which is why the restrictions on "collaboration" are so stupid. They are taking away the very thing that makes Harvard special.

Re:$70K? Absurd...

[93 Escort Wagon]

Indeed, most Harvard students do not pay tuition at all, because they are minorities or minority women.

Well, that is a load of crap. Roughly 50% of the Harvard student population is white. An additional 22% are Asian-American, who generally don't get classified as underpriviliged minority.

https://college.harvard.edu/ad...

Also, "minorities or minority women"?! Like the latter group magically doesn't get included in the former?

Re:Do people go to Harvard to program?

[epyT-R]

No, they are not just as good. A degree from Harvard will open a lot of doors. Not only because of the reputation, but also because of the alumni network.

So it's an expensive popularity contest. He was talking about the quality of education.

test for cheating

[stabiesoft]

I recall one of my CS classes, the prof gave an assignment. You were guaranteed to run into a problem. Way back when, the batch file had a limit on memory usage and the assignment needed more than you had. So you went to the prof and he would put a check by your name and tell you how to up the resource. At the beginning of the assignment he was very clear. Do not cheat and that included asking classmates about anything about this assignment. If you did not go see him, you flunked the class. A clever prof figures out ways to detect cheating.

Re:test for cheating

[Anonymous Coward]

If You define asking classmates about anything about this assignment as cheating, You had already failed as a teacher. Not only that, it is even a retarded way of detecting cheating -- it does not prevent cross-year cheating, and it is enough for one clever person to be caught cheating to ruin this really stupid and manipulative thing.
A clever teacher knows already that whatever punishments You employ, they only serve as perverse incentives at best and they always end up punishing upright students.

Re:test for cheating

[Anonymous Coward]

Not to mention that the best students - the ones that can identify a problem, and research how to solve it own their own - would be the ones punished.
The ones that "passed" were the drones that did exactly what they were told, in exactly the way they were told, and went back for more instructions at the first sign of trouble.

Re:test for cheating

[ByteSlicer]

So if you knew enough about batch files and memory to fix this on your own (I know I did, back then), you'd be branded a cheater? The problem with "clever" profs is their ego is so big, they'd never consider a student being smarter than them.

Re:test for cheating

[chihowa]

One of the points of the assignment was to understand how to work within the limitations of practical work.

Was that a specifically communicated point of the assignment or just something that he tacked on when you complained? It sounds like he was just punishing you for bruising his ego. I've been in the same situation that you were in...

Part of teaching somebody how to work within limitations is to use actual limitations. Rewriting his code was obviously not an actual limitation, because you did it, so if he wanted it to be limiting he should have specified that. These some years later, it's clear what the limitations are and you I hope that don't fire people for not working within limitations that you never communicated to them.

Re:Do people go to Harvard to program?

[ChromeAeonium]

I have a very hard time believing that. I can't speak to the quality of Harvard's education because I've never stepped foot in the place, but I've met a few people who went to those so-called 'elite schools.' They didn't seem any better or worse than those of us who could not afford the feeder schools, extracurricular activities, and other elements of institutionalized classism. The only difference I could tell was that they had nicer clothes and more expensive hobbies. Pardon me if I am highly skeptical of the claim that there's anything special going on there beyond networking and brand recognition, but I for one would much rather work with an Iowa State grad than someone from Harvard. At least I know which one has the ability to justly earn their position.

Re:Do people go to Harvard to program?

[stealth_finger]

No, they are not just as good. A degree from Harvard will open a lot of doors. Not only because of the reputation, but also because of the alumni network.

So it's an expensive popularity contest. He was talking about the quality of education.

Dunno about most people but when I hear Harvard I think rich, not smart.