Model Answers
While it may be a function of my primary teaching area (accounting, the provision of a model answer troubles me. Sad to say, but cheating appears to be rampant in the online environment. I know I cannot stop it, but I prefer not to be an enabler of the process. When it comes to accounting problems, while it does take more time, I think it makes more sense to assist the student by addressing the point at which s/he took a wrong turn rather than simply providing the model answer.
I am pleased to see some universities using algorithmic based accounting problems so that each learner in a class is completing the same problem but with different numbers. This works well with my preference for explaining how to approach the problem correctly. While the learner may still relatively easily acquire "a" correct answer, it will not necessarily be "the" correct answer for his/her problem. S/he will still have to work through the steps thereby achieving, at the very least, some understanding of the underlying concepts.
Does anyone else have thoughts about how to address model answers for classes that rely heavily on computational assignments?
Shelley,
I am hoping that more accounting instructors will chime in here as well. I do agree with you that students need help at the point of error. If a model is shown....does a student really feel they have been "taught"?
Shelly Crider
I sometimes feel model answers should reflect and inform students looking toward common mistakes. This alerts them to "watch out" and gives them an inside look at what might not be acceptable to the instructor. Of course, a strong representative model of a positive outcome is also very important.
I prefer modeling for showing students how to write discussion boards, and what is expected for something that does not have an exact answer. For accounting and other courses with quantitative answers we create multiple questions from which the pool with address each learning objective. Thus no two students get the same exam.
Alan,
Excellent.....I love the idea that no two students get the very same exam!
Shelly Crider
I agree there should be variety of different tests and answers that measure the same concepts and show that the student has learned the information.
It's important to understand the cheating in an online course is really dependent upon your philosophical basis. If a person is very individualistic in nature, and thoroughly believes in the value of individual effort (i.e., that person is a capitalist) then cheating is any effort by a student that uses material that he or she did not create.
The problem with this definition is that I challenge anyone of this course to tell me one idea, one original idea, but they ever created in their lives. If you are honest with yourself, and I try to be honest with myself, I realize that all of my ideas that I ever have in my head have come from someone else.
In the movie, entitled :"A Beautiful Mind" John Nash is searching for one original idea. Notice that he is searching for one original idea. John Nash understands that most ideas that people hold are not their own. So when we look at cheating, are we really looking at our own ideas or the ideas of some long dead philosopher? What do you think?
I remember from primary school how we would carefully review the progressive steps to solving computational problems. I suspect the model answer might be longer for this methodology but I would want to carefully layout the progressions and where need be offer decision tree examples that show wrong path direction. I believe most computational hierarchies have only one correct (best) answer and I would concentrate on revealing the pathway that follows that answer. I hear the phrase Generally Accepted Practice when I'm around Accounting types (I'm a Psychologist)and I think I'd rely on that philosophy to guide my construct.
Christopher,
It is good to have detailed steps to follow.
Shelly Crider
If I think cheating has become a problem among certain students, I'll switch to an excel sheet that uses =random() to assign different parameters to the same base problem, or provide model calculations where the student has to explain the correctness or incorrectness of the example.
Ajani,
Excellent plan. We as instructors do need to have back up plans when it comes to exams.
Shelly Crider
