Discussion of Internet as Student resource

["Scott O. Schwahn" <schwahn@CEBAF.GOV>]

O.K., I've had about enough results to post.  I was hoping that my questions
would result in more *public* discussion than it did; I got quite a few
personal reponses on both sides of the subject, more of them in favor of
assistance.

Most - correction - all - of those who replied thought I was on the side
against helping students.  My posting was intended to ask the questions, not
to state my personal opinion - in fact, I don't yet have a fully developed
opinion.  It is difficult, in retrospect, to avoid reading into my posting
what was not there.  So in that respect, my apologies to SSG Williamson and
other students who were "against my opinion", despite my opinion never
having been posted.

Now for the summary:  1) More were in favor of providing help when requested
than not.  2) One cited an instance where a student was seeking answers to a
known take-home test, clearly a violation of policy.  3) One responder
probably had the best summary:

[excerpted]:
>There is a fine line between cheating and using your available resources. 
>But, if the student has the responsibility for this, not the resource. In 
>my opinion, if they feel that this is a media rich in information, and 
>their teachers, professors, ect have not excluded using the internet, 
>then I am for it. And if they have been told not to use it (i.e., 
>homework, exams, whatever) then it is the students responsibilty not to 
>cheat, and that never has changed. It matter little what the cheating 
>would be,( ie, crib notes, having someone else do your work) it is just 
>the students problem. 

I agree with this wholeheartedly.  I am still not sure if an internet search
deprives students of traditional research skills and the true learniing
process - but then again, we're in a new era.  Who is to say that this is
not as good a research skill as another?

I hope most of you were interested in the subject, but if not, sorry for
wasting your space.  By the way, I am also a full-time professional seeking
a degree at night, so contrary to some folks' conjectures, I have not
forgotten what it was like.

Scott O. Schwahn, CHP
Operational Health Physicist
Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility
(804)249-7551 (w)
(804)249-7363 (fax)
schwahn@cebaf.gov