Students who cheat in introductory physics courses

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The discussion centers around the prevalence of cheating in college courses, particularly regarding the use of solutions manuals. Participants note that while some students attempt to cheat by copying from these manuals or each other, others argue that solutions can be beneficial for understanding the material when used appropriately. There are anecdotes about students being caught cheating, including copying answers verbatim from solutions manuals, and the challenges faced by instructors in preventing such behavior. The conversation also touches on cultural differences in perceptions of cheating, with some international students reportedly having a more relaxed view on academic dishonesty. Various strategies to mitigate cheating during exams are discussed, such as randomizing seating and creating different versions of tests. Ultimately, there is a shared sentiment that the focus should be on learning rather than merely obtaining grades, and that many students waste time devising ways to cheat instead of studying the material.
  • #31
elterrible said:
In the upper level engineering courses its pretty much impossible to cheat on the tests. They are design problems, with each one taking up a page or more, so its not like there is just one letter or one line you can quickly copy from a neighbor, you need a page of calculations to answer the question, so you better be able to do it at test time.

My school allows phones in exams, so there's a joke that the avg. EE exam score has jumped by 30 points since the invention of the iphone. Professors reuse exams that are floating around, so guys come in with the solutions loaded on their phones.
 

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