Live data from Hacker News

As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating

nytimes.com

1–10 of 303 posts

Re: As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating

#3
This should be obvious to any person who tutors people online. If you check out sites like https://schoolsolver.com or https://chegg.com they have become havens for programming questions. One could make the argument that it's partly the teachers fault for reusing old programming assignments. On the other hand, especially on something like school solver, there are plenty of programmers, living in 3rd world countries, willing to do original complex programming assignments for a paltry amount of money.

Re: As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating

#4
What's with the obsession with student assessment over student learning? At the end of the day the student has to perform, and there are plenty of opportunities to build up a network of people that will assert you know your stuff. Why is it that grades are still a thing at this level?

Re: As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating

#5
My engineering courses were filled with cheaters.

Fortunately, these become apparent in the workplace and filter out in the first few years.

Any major with promise of wealth will have those who will resort to ill means to get ahead in the system. Again, fortunately, many are weeded out in later stages.

Re: As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating

#6

This should be obvious to any person who tutors people online. If you check out sites like https://schoolsolver.com or https://chegg.com they have become havens for programming questions. One could make the argument that it's partly the teachers fault for reusing old programming assignments. On the other hand, especially on something like school solver, there are plenty of programmers, living in 3rd world countries,…

They were havens for traditional engineering questions when I was in college too (Dynamics, Statics, Fluids, etc). Every homework question we had seemed to be available online somewhere and it let to kids simply copying answers instead of simply learning the same material they were copying. It got so bad the whole MechEng dept at my school got rid of homework in favor of problem sets that were solved in a given classroom, at a given time, with a TA supervising.

I can only imagine it is much worse now.

Re: As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating

#7

What's with the obsession with student assessment over student learning? At the end of the day the student has to perform, and there are plenty of opportunities to build up a network of people that will assert you know your stuff. Why is it that grades are still a thing at this level?

Saves time.

It's a lot easier to determine if you are capable from "my GPA is x" rather than having someone sit down and write code for a few hours and doing a code review.

Re: As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating

#8

What's with the obsession with student assessment over student learning? At the end of the day the student has to perform, and there are plenty of opportunities to build up a network of people that will assert you know your stuff. Why is it that grades are still a thing at this level?

Unfortunately, unless that network of people includes people with hiring authority, it is not very helpful. Employers seem to put very little stock in references.

Re: As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating

#9
post #7

What's with the obsession with student assessment over student learning? At the end of the day the student has to perform, and there are plenty of opportunities to build up a network of people that will assert you know your stuff. Why is it that grades are still a thing at this level?

Saves time. It's a lot easier to determine if you are capable from "my GPA is x" rather than having someone sit down and write code for a few hours and doing a code review.

Everyone does code review or whiteboards now in industry at least - it's not as if you're offered a residency or job after you get a degree unless it's a pretty good degree with some actual interviewing.

Re: As Computer Coding Classes Swell, So Does Cheating

#10

What's with the obsession with student assessment over student learning? At the end of the day the student has to perform, and there are plenty of opportunities to build up a network of people that will assert you know your stuff. Why is it that grades are still a thing at this level?

We optimize for what we can easily measure, even when it doesn't make sense to optimize for that thing.
Post reply on HN