Re: Too Bad

[JMUCKERHEIDE@delphi.com]

Dr.  Johnson,

The matter of "guidelines" on what's acceptable "research" is between the
student and his professor. This forum, and most others, provide precious
little actual "solutions". It tends to point people in the direction of
sources and approaches to problems. This is no more "cheating" than, and risks 
false information more than, asking another professor or grad student or other 
resource about a problem hoping to get advise and direction. > 

>    I really have to disagree with you on this. I'm a professor myself, and
> I think that my colleagues and I are a fine "information resource".
> However, this does not mean that I think it's OK for a student to solve his
> problems by asking me (or someone else) to tell him the answer. The
> function of these questions is NOT to see if the student can dig up the
> information somewhere, it is to see if he can THINK. Anyone can rummage
> through the Internet and find tons of information. But information is not
> thinking, Surfing the Internet is not a skill.

Its more a skill than going to the library! At the library you can probably
get more complete answers, with higher confidence in the quality of the info!  
 >    I also might have felt happier with Mr. Toupin if he had said up front

> that this was a question from his exam, and he wanted help. But he did not
> volunteer that information, because he knew that nearly everyone would
> decide not to help in that circumstance.
> 
In the final analysis, the issue is not about whether what he did was right,
it was the frenzy of the self-righteous response of people to him and the
issue without inquiry! 

This is also combined with the traditional extremely narrow view of what
constitutes "education" in doing problems rather than learning how to do, and
address, real problems! 

>                                         - Robert M. Johnson
>                                           Department of Biochemistry
>                                           Wayne State Medical School
>                                           540 E. Canfield
>                                           Detroit, MI 48201
>                                           TEL: 313-577-1816
>                                           FAX: 313-577-2765
> 
Just my opinion! Thanks.

Regards, Jim Muckerheide