Maximal Collaboration: Getting Help from a Classmate is not Cheating
Abstract
In most classes, it is considered cheating for a student to help another student with homework. If all students are doing different projects, though, it is possible to give students credit for helping others. This brings the classroom environment into better alignment with the "real world" and facilitates students learning from their peers as well as from the instructor. In a course on object-oriented design, students worked on the design of open-source software. Each group worked on a separate piece of the program. With no two groups implementing the same feature, students cannot cheat by copying anyone else's code. Instead of being discouraged from talking with other groups, students can now be encouraged to share their knowledge with others. Several different avenues were provided. One is the social-networking Piazza application. Another is peer review through the Expertiza system: students peer-review each other's design documents and code. Each student is required to do two such reviews, but can earn extra credit by reviewing extra projects. This provides each group with a copious amount of feedback.
Location
Atrium/Concourse
Recommended Citation
Gehringer, Edward, "Maximal Collaboration: Getting Help from a Classmate is not Cheating " (2012). SoTL Commons Conference. 75.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2012/75
Maximal Collaboration: Getting Help from a Classmate is not Cheating
Atrium/Concourse
In most classes, it is considered cheating for a student to help another student with homework. If all students are doing different projects, though, it is possible to give students credit for helping others. This brings the classroom environment into better alignment with the "real world" and facilitates students learning from their peers as well as from the instructor. In a course on object-oriented design, students worked on the design of open-source software. Each group worked on a separate piece of the program. With no two groups implementing the same feature, students cannot cheat by copying anyone else's code. Instead of being discouraged from talking with other groups, students can now be encouraged to share their knowledge with others. Several different avenues were provided. One is the social-networking Piazza application. Another is peer review through the Expertiza system: students peer-review each other's design documents and code. Each student is required to do two such reviews, but can earn extra credit by reviewing extra projects. This provides each group with a copious amount of feedback.
