In the light of the leaked university paper events, I have been thinking a lot about the academic corruption that the current engineering students go through. This post necessarily talks about the level of corruption, causes, effects and factors affecting it in a straight-to-the-face manner. A problem is best served with the solution, so this article also will try to set a solution in action.
Let's take a simple example under study, a masked corruption, giving out the questions for term tests to the students for preparation. Some may try to rationalize it, but that will be just like the project outsourcing trend. It is bad enough to do the wrong, but worse to justify it as the right. In Mumbai University syllabus, 25 marks called as 'term work' per subject are in the hands of the professors. The factors which determine these 25 marks are: attendance, connection with the professor, overall performance and term test marks. In some colleges, term tests are replaced by a prelim each semester, but the overall pattern is similar. Let's narrow down our scope for the purpose of study and concentrate only on the corruption at mid-term exam level, which is responsible for say, 5 marks per subject in total engineering scene.
When no questions are given for preparation:
Highest: 24. Lowest: 0.
When a question bank (5/12 expected in exam) was given: Highest, 28, lowest 2.
When the teacher gave question paper straightaway:
Highest: 29, lowest: 4.
Observations:
#1: Giving out the paper shifted the origin for obtained marks by 5, approximately 16.66% of the test, 5% of the subject and not even 1% of the total semester marks, but made the paper-checker's work easier as the graph was crowded at the correctness side.
#2: 70% of the students had prepared only 7 questions out of the expected 12 list. Number of toppers were more than those who cleared the completely clueless tests.
#3: the approximate percentage of copying was observed to decrease in the 5/12 method, but it was the same in 5/5 method.
Now, what my professor did here is, give all the questions and ask only 4 of them, with 2 unexpected questions as compulsary.
Results:
Highest: 19, lowest: 0.
Observations:
#1: Nobody had studied the 10 marks unexpected questions. Students will not study more if they are given a ready-made easy way!
#2: Toppers were still happy, as they assumed that everyone was evaluated for 20 marks out of the questions foretold.
#3: There was a material that never studied, not even the given 4 questions.
Combined Inference:
1. The half-blind horse effect:
Even though the intention was of guiding, everyone studied only what was in the expected list. A student tends to cover his eyes from the unnecessary burden wherever possible. The horse will reach the destination, but can never work out the road on its own. We're building autonomous line followers. The purpose of education is defiled, as the studying part only concentrates on known questions, leaving aside the learning process.
2. The synchronized corruption:
Corruption is a wave that will set easily if both the parties involved are at benefit. Here, both the student and the professor save time and effort in sharing questions. The disadvantages of the learning curve are compromised. Plus, the things that happen in a group are conveniently approved to be less unrighteous. A group of 75+ people sharing the same vision and motivating the deed, none pointing out that it is wrong.. ah! The tragedy.
3. Importance of the scenario:
As Gladwell tells in his book, the power of context is an important factor. If it were for a more important exam, the professors would be willing to share less, so as to let only the cream students pass. Even the students would want to avoid helping in the process of copying as there would be a greater need for competition. The fact that it's only a term test, generates a self-motivated carelessness in the victims, thus they don't bother to work hard. It is almost like you knew that the snake that bit you was non-poisonous.
Last, but not the least, the misconceptions:
there were students who were okay even with 0 marks and did not study at all, neither did they try to copy and write answers. They were harmless on copying measures, but made a negative impression on overall result. This behaviour is observed to be out of spite and that has either of the following 3 reasons:
1. Potential dumbness/laziness.
2. Misled ideas about rebelling the education system.
3. Misconception about sounding cool by keeping an 'I don't care' attitude.
This was just a small scale example. I believe there are a number of ways in which corruption is rationalized and planted as a seed in the development cycle of today's student. Sad as it may seem, nothing is constant. The 5/12 theory is one of the possible solutions. Help them, walk them through and you might be able to convert a few students who are willing to learn the right way. Time demands a need to have faith that at least some 18 year olds will be ready to take the longer route to keep their heads up while riding on their path. They say, Dnyanina: Tatwadarshina:| Let's hope that we one day make its meaning a possibility.
I wish there were schools without an exam, without a comparison, without a judgemental degree of classification, that taught everything without a syllabus. I wish there were students who lived to learn what they loved and challenged the education system to cope up with their need for knowledge. I wish there were better measures to determine success and happiness. I wish there were no need of becoming an engineer certified by MU, to learn engineering and if it should exist, getting a degree from MU meant like becoming an engineer in true sense. And then I wish everyone one day will realize it's not something to wish for, but to use different glasses.
Let's take a simple example under study, a masked corruption, giving out the questions for term tests to the students for preparation. Some may try to rationalize it, but that will be just like the project outsourcing trend. It is bad enough to do the wrong, but worse to justify it as the right. In Mumbai University syllabus, 25 marks called as 'term work' per subject are in the hands of the professors. The factors which determine these 25 marks are: attendance, connection with the professor, overall performance and term test marks. In some colleges, term tests are replaced by a prelim each semester, but the overall pattern is similar. Let's narrow down our scope for the purpose of study and concentrate only on the corruption at mid-term exam level, which is responsible for say, 5 marks per subject in total engineering scene.
When no questions are given for preparation:
Highest: 24. Lowest: 0.
When a question bank (5/12 expected in exam) was given: Highest, 28, lowest 2.
When the teacher gave question paper straightaway:
Highest: 29, lowest: 4.
Observations:
#1: Giving out the paper shifted the origin for obtained marks by 5, approximately 16.66% of the test, 5% of the subject and not even 1% of the total semester marks, but made the paper-checker's work easier as the graph was crowded at the correctness side.
#2: 70% of the students had prepared only 7 questions out of the expected 12 list. Number of toppers were more than those who cleared the completely clueless tests.
#3: the approximate percentage of copying was observed to decrease in the 5/12 method, but it was the same in 5/5 method.
Now, what my professor did here is, give all the questions and ask only 4 of them, with 2 unexpected questions as compulsary.
Results:
Highest: 19, lowest: 0.
Observations:
#1: Nobody had studied the 10 marks unexpected questions. Students will not study more if they are given a ready-made easy way!
#2: Toppers were still happy, as they assumed that everyone was evaluated for 20 marks out of the questions foretold.
#3: There was a material that never studied, not even the given 4 questions.
Combined Inference:
1. The half-blind horse effect:
Even though the intention was of guiding, everyone studied only what was in the expected list. A student tends to cover his eyes from the unnecessary burden wherever possible. The horse will reach the destination, but can never work out the road on its own. We're building autonomous line followers. The purpose of education is defiled, as the studying part only concentrates on known questions, leaving aside the learning process.
2. The synchronized corruption:
Corruption is a wave that will set easily if both the parties involved are at benefit. Here, both the student and the professor save time and effort in sharing questions. The disadvantages of the learning curve are compromised. Plus, the things that happen in a group are conveniently approved to be less unrighteous. A group of 75+ people sharing the same vision and motivating the deed, none pointing out that it is wrong.. ah! The tragedy.
3. Importance of the scenario:
As Gladwell tells in his book, the power of context is an important factor. If it were for a more important exam, the professors would be willing to share less, so as to let only the cream students pass. Even the students would want to avoid helping in the process of copying as there would be a greater need for competition. The fact that it's only a term test, generates a self-motivated carelessness in the victims, thus they don't bother to work hard. It is almost like you knew that the snake that bit you was non-poisonous.
Last, but not the least, the misconceptions:
there were students who were okay even with 0 marks and did not study at all, neither did they try to copy and write answers. They were harmless on copying measures, but made a negative impression on overall result. This behaviour is observed to be out of spite and that has either of the following 3 reasons:
1. Potential dumbness/laziness.
2. Misled ideas about rebelling the education system.
3. Misconception about sounding cool by keeping an 'I don't care' attitude.
This was just a small scale example. I believe there are a number of ways in which corruption is rationalized and planted as a seed in the development cycle of today's student. Sad as it may seem, nothing is constant. The 5/12 theory is one of the possible solutions. Help them, walk them through and you might be able to convert a few students who are willing to learn the right way. Time demands a need to have faith that at least some 18 year olds will be ready to take the longer route to keep their heads up while riding on their path. They say, Dnyanina: Tatwadarshina:| Let's hope that we one day make its meaning a possibility.
I wish there were schools without an exam, without a comparison, without a judgemental degree of classification, that taught everything without a syllabus. I wish there were students who lived to learn what they loved and challenged the education system to cope up with their need for knowledge. I wish there were better measures to determine success and happiness. I wish there were no need of becoming an engineer certified by MU, to learn engineering and if it should exist, getting a degree from MU meant like becoming an engineer in true sense. And then I wish everyone one day will realize it's not something to wish for, but to use different glasses.
