[Air-L] TorontoStar: Facebook : The New Study Hall For The Wired Generation? Perhaps Not [:-(

[Greg Elmer]

While I am not endorsing the position of my university, I think the following question is an important one: if a university professor states to his/her students "this assignment should be completed independently" should students be able to swap answers or otherwise collaborate on said assignment either online or offline? If we are to believe the Star <http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/309855>:

"While Neale admits the professor stipulated the online homework questions were to be done independently, she said it has long been a tradition for students to brainstorm homework in groups, particularly in heavy programs such as law, engineering and medicine."

-Greg

Greg Elmer, PhD
Bell Globemedia Research Chair, Ryerson University
Director, Infoscape Research Lab, www.infoscapelab.ca
Columnist, The Hill Times, www.hilltimes.com

Address:
Room 309, Rogers Communications Centre 
Ryerson University
350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario
Canada      M5B 2K3

416-979-5282

_______________________________________________


----- Original Message -----
From: Gerry Mckiernan <gerrymck at iastate.edu>
Date: Friday, March 7, 2008 4:41 pm
Subject: [Air-L] TorontoStar: Facebook : The New Study Hall For The	Wired Generation? Perhaps Not [:-(
To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org, aericson at online.no

> ***Apologies for Receipt of Duplicate Postings***
> 
> Friends/
> 
> Disturbing, Very Disturbing ... [:-(
> 
> /Gerry
> 
> Student faces Facebook consequences
> 
> Freshman hit with 147 academic charges for online study network at 
> Ryerson University
> 
> Ryerson student Chris Avenir is facing expulsion for taking part in a 
> Facebook study group for one of his engineering courses. 
> 
> Study groups may be a virtual trademark of the Ivory Tower - but a 
> virtual study group has been slammed as cheating by Ryerson University.
> 
> First-year student Chris Avenir is fighting charges of academic 
> misconduct for helping run an online chemistry study group via 
> Facebook last term, where 146 classmates swapped tips on homework 
> questions that counted for 10 per cent of their mark.
> 
> The computer engineering student has been charged with one count of 
> academic misconduct for helping run the group - called 
> Dungeons/Mastering Chemistry Solutions after the popular Ryerson 
> basement study room engineering students dub The Dungeon - and another 
> 146 counts, one for each classmate who used the site.
> 
> [snip]
> 
> The incident has sent shock waves through student ranks, says Kim 
> Neale, 26, the student union's advocacy co-ordinator, who will 
> represent Avenir at the hearing.
> 
> "All these students are scared s---less now about using Facebook to 
> talk about schoolwork, when actually it's no different than any study 
> group working together on homework in a library," said Neale.
> 
> "That's the worst part; it's creating this culture of fear, where if I 
> post a question about physics homework on my friend's wall (a Facebook 
> bulletin board) and ask if anyone has any ideas how to approach this - 
> and my prof sees this, am I cheating?" said Neale, who has used 
> Facebook study groups herself.
> 
> [snip]
> 
> Ryerson's academic misconduct policy, which is being updated, defines 
> it as "any deliberate activity to gain academic advantage, including 
> actions that have a negative effect on the integrity of the learning environment."
> 
> Yet students argue Facebook groups are simply the new study hall for 
> the wired generation.
> 
> Avenir said he joined the Facebook group last fall to get help with 
> some of the questions the professor would give students 
> 
> [MORE AT]
> 
> [ 
> http://onlinesocialnetworks.blogspot.com/2008/03/facebook-new-study-hall-for-wired.html 
> ]
> 
> /Gerry
> 
> Gerry McKiernan
> Associate Professor
> Science and Technology Librarian
> Iowa State University Library
> Ames IA 50011
> 
> gerrymck at iastate.edu 
> 
> There is Nothing More Powerful Than  An Idea Whose Time Has Come
> Victor Hugo
> [ http://www.blogger.com/profile/09093368136660604490 ]
> 
> Iowa: Where the Tall Corn Flows and the (North)West Wind Blows 
> [ http://alternativeenergyblogs.blogspot.com/ ]
> 
> 
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