Matt ReedStill, I couldn’t help but notice that while many respondents focused on techniques, none engaged the ethical question. Is it ethically okay for professors to flood illicit websites with course disinformation to suss out cheaters? Is disinformation AI’s kryptonite?
Noah Arney@deandad I love this follow up. " I don’t have an easy answer for maintaining the economies of scale of arena-size classes while preventing cheating."
As one of the people who brought up the scale issue, thank you for trying to think of a solution. I'm pretty sure this is a case where CCs and other teaching focused institutions will do better because they aren't based on scale and TA armies.
It means CCs will be less likely to use automated-punitive measures and anti-neurodivergent practices.
@deandad Regarding your question though, it is 100% unethical for someone who is supposed to help others learn about truth or how to determine truth to purposefully spread falsehoods.
My example is: If you were teaching foraging you would be unethical to put out poisoned food into the forest, even if it was a teaching exercise to guide students to the true food, because those in the forest who are unconnected to you may still eat the poisoned food, and thus you would harm the ecosystem.
@deandad In fact, if the faculty member who put the fake answers out into the world considered their actions through the lens of ethics in human research I think they would also have to conclude that it doesn't meet the ethical bar for research, so why would it be ethical for a classroom.
Dr. Mikaila@narney @deandad So, hypothesis: as places offering arena-size classes continue to deteriorate in the quality of learning likely obtained by graduates, elite graduate programs & employers will continue to recruit from them rather than from CCs & RPUs with small classes & better pedagogies because what they cared about was always pedigree rather than learning anyway.
@mmlarthur @deandad sounds plausible. Especially as long as most rankings are primarily direct and indirect measures of reputation rather than quality.
@mmlarthur @narney Entirely possible...