possible ethics question

[ElizK]

Well, I guess I already knew the answer, since I was struggling with doing it. Darn. Guess I better get busy. It's due on Friday.

Thank you for all your replies!

 

[BCDisneyFanatic]

Well, I guess I already knew the answer, since I was struggling with doing it. Darn. Guess I better get busy. It's due on Friday.

Thank you for all your replies!

Our conscience is usually good for telling us the right answers to our questions!

As tempting as it can be to take shortcuts, in this case you'd be shortchanging yourself from an educational experience. Each paper makes you a 'mini-expert' on a new topic, and gives you an opportunity to practice your basic writing and persuasive skills.

You WILL feel good when that paper is submitted, as painful as this week will be . Have you decided on a topic?

 

[ElizK]

Our conscience is usually good for telling us the right answers to our questions!

As tempting as it can be to take shortcuts, in this case you'd be shortchanging yourself from an educational experience. Each paper makes you a 'mini-expert' on a new topic, and gives you an opportunity to practice your basic writing and persuasive skills.

You WILL feel good when that paper is submitted, as painful as this week will be . Have you decided on a topic?

NO! Which is why I wanted to take the shortcut. I would so much rather be given a subject to write about. The assignment is to write a minimum of 900 words about ANYTHING we've studied this semester. That's too broad! I can't decide. We did some history of psych kind of stuff... maybe I could choose one of the people like Freud (probably not him.. maybe one of his contemporaries). Or maybe something in the child development section... or maybe something about perception, or motivation, or...

You see my problem??

 

[Alphabetsoup]

1. As as prof, I'd fail a student who 'double-dipped' on an assignment.

2. The assignment your prof gave you is the height of laziness and poor academic structure. *grumble* It is unclear, wishy-washy and I would guess you are not the only student struggling with it due to the vague topic. This is an inherent problem with online education -- most courses are taught by people who do not have a PhD and have likely NEVER had ANY training in how to teach (muchless how to create GOOD assignments that actually test student knowledge and competency).

Your best bet is to find a topic that you have studied in the class, that you find in some way interesting. Freud (for most people) is dull as dishwater.

 

[MsLeFever]

College Prof here. I know that at my university this would be considered a violation of academic integrity.

HOWEVER - this can differ from professor to professor. I think that to be completely above board you should go to your current professor and ask if it would be acceptable to edit/rewrite a previously submitted paper. Let him/her make the call.

 

[MsLeFever]

This is an inherent problem with online education -- most courses are taught by people who do not have a PhD and have likely NEVER had ANY training in how to teach (muchless how to create GOOD assignments that actually test student knowledge and competency).

.

This REALLY depends on the university. If you are taking on-line courses from an accredited university this is most certainly not true. I have 20 years experience teaching, a terminal degree in my field and yes - I teach several classes on-line.

 

[hambirg]

I don't know what to tell you, because it's been along time since I've been in school. . .BUT

I think it is totally ludicrous for people to say it is unethical. If it is your original work, than I don't see anything wrong with it. You own it. HELLO college professors, but this is how the real world works! Do you completely write your curriculum from scratch with every new class? Didn't think so! Cheater! I taught 4th grade. . .I had to write lesson plans, and if I changed schools, I don't think it would be unethical for me to use those same lesson plans. In fact, I think it would be smart and efficient! I don't think the OP is robbing themselves of anything! If you wrote an original piece and it was good. . .and you are lucky enough for it to meet the criteria of another assignment, why does that make you bad to revise it and use it again? Frankly, as an employer. . .that's the person I want to hire. Somebody that has already done the work and has the knowledge and can adapt it to a new situation. . .not some nitwit that doesn't have the brains to realize they've already done it and spends a good amount of their time being inefficient doing it all over just for the sake of doing it again from scratch. That's just stupid! JMHO!!!

 

[ElizK]

I sucked it up and wrote a new paper. The rough draft is almost finished, just need to write my conclusion. That'll put me at or near the required word count. I'll just fluff it up a bit from there.

So will this paper actually be read? It's due 10 days before the end of the semester. 900 words per student. I don't know how many classes he has, but my class has 30 students. I have a theory that my word count will be checked, probably my thesis statement, and then my works cited page, but not much more than that.

Thoughts on my theory?

 

[superme80]

I don't know what to tell you, because it's been along time since I've been in school. . .BUT

I think it is totally ludicrous for people to say it is unethical. If it is your original work, than I don't see anything wrong with it. You own it. HELLO college professors, but this is how the real world works! Do you completely write your curriculum from scratch with every new class? Didn't think so! Cheater! I taught 4th grade. . .I had to write lesson plans, and if I changed schools, I don't think it would be unethical for me to use those same lesson plans. In fact, I think it would be smart and efficient! I don't think the OP is robbing themselves of anything! If you wrote an original piece and it was good. . .and you are lucky enough for it to meet the criteria of another assignment, why does that make you bad to revise it and use it again? Frankly, as an employer. . .that's the person I want to hire. Somebody that has already done the work and has the knowledge and can adapt it to a new situation. . .not some nitwit that doesn't have the brains to realize they've already done it and spends a good amount of their time being inefficient doing it all over just for the sake of doing it again from scratch. That's just stupid! JMHO!!!

I completely agree!

 

[mamacatnv]

NO! Which is why I wanted to take the shortcut. I would so much rather be given a subject to write about. The assignment is to write a minimum of 900 words about ANYTHING we've studied this semester. That's too broad! I can't decide. We did some history of psych kind of stuff... maybe I could choose one of the people like Freud (probably not him.. maybe one of his contemporaries). Or maybe something in the child development section... or maybe something about perception, or motivation, or...

You see my problem??

How about a paper on how our conscience can guide our decisions

 

[emma'smom]

I read every paper submitted. If you do the work, I'm obligated to do my work. I set aside large chunks of time at the end of a semester for grading.....it's part of my job! Just as it would be unethical for you to cut corners, it would be unethical for me to do so as well.

I sucked it up and wrote a new paper. The rough draft is almost finished, just need to write my conclusion. That'll put me at or near the required word count. I'll just fluff it up a bit from there.

So will this paper actually be read? It's due 10 days before the end of the semester. 900 words per student. I don't know how many classes he has, but my class has 30 students. I have a theory that my word count will be checked, probably my thesis statement, and then my works cited page, but not much more than that.

Thoughts on my theory?

 

[pogo791]

I sucked it up and wrote a new paper. [ . . . ] So will this paper actually be read? It's due 10 days before the end of the semester. 900 words per student. I don't know how many classes he has, but my class has 30 students. I have a theory that my word count will be checked, probably my thesis statement, and then my works cited page, but not much more than that. [ . . . ]

I read every paper submitted. If you do the work, I'm obligated to do my work. I set aside large chunks of time at the end of a semester for grading.....it's part of my job! Just as it would be unethical for you to cut corners, it would be unethical for me to do so as well.

Another college prof checking in, here. First off, ElizK, congrats on taking this approach. Writing a new paper from scratch is what I would have expected of my students.

Yes, I do accept papers that are somewhat recycled but I expect my students to check with me first, and then together we can see how the earlier paper can be used as part of the new assignment. When I give an assignment, I try to tailor it to the course I am teaching, so that the work that the student turns in will reflect whether or not s/he has actually learned something.

And like emma’smom, I take my own work seriously. I read every single paper, and don’t just take a ruler to check to see that it is long enough.

[ . . . ] I think it is totally ludicrous for people to say it is unethical. If it is your original work, than I don't see anything wrong with it. You own it. HELLO college professors, but this is how the real world works! Do you completely write your curriculum from scratch with every new class? Didn't think so! Cheater! I taught 4th grade. . .I had to write lesson plans, and if I changed schools, I don't think it would be unethical for me to use those same lesson plans. In fact, I think it would be smart and efficient! [ . . . ]

Hambirg, there is at least one main difference between teaching and being taught. As a prof, I am “graded” on how well I can communicate a subject to my students. Yes, I have used the same curriculum from year to year, but that is because both my university and my students find it worthwhile, something that they are interested in. (Of course, I do as much as I can to keep it up to date, to reflect developments in the field.) Should I go to another university, I would probably use more or less the same course outlines, because that new university is hiring me on the basis of what I know and am able to communicate to my students.

My students, in turn, are graded on how well they can absorb and utilize the material that I require of them. I am not interested in reading an essay that they wrote before they even entered my classroom.

(OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now.)

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I have had both types of professors. The majority of them actually read the papers that they assign but there was a few that never did.

I literally had a professor pick up my paper, check to see if it was in the correct format, write 100% on it and hand it back to me. Of course this professor didn't want to assign the paper in the first place, he was being forced to by the Dean.

I was really tempted to write a paper full of gibberish the next time I was assigned to his class just to see if he would catch it.

 

[PatsGirl]

Funny. Days ago I responded that I thought it was a great idea and something that I did several times in college (2001-2004) without any question. Got to thinking about the various answers and those specifically from professors here on DIS, how about doing the paper on "The Ethics of Submitting the Same Paper Twice"

Of course, I see you have already selected a topic and prepared your paper. Hope it does get read and that your grade is good

 

[Rora]

I think the right thing to do in this situation is ask your professor.

 

[eeyoremum]

This is still plagiarism. I work for a College our faculty use a program called Turnitin that specifically looks for plagiarism. If you English teacher submitted your essay to Turnitin and your new teacher checks your paper against it you will get caught.

Turnitin is way more popular in the States than it is in Canada. It is my understanding that MOST colleges and universities State side use it.

Is it worth academic dishonesty and possible being expelled?