[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by Pre-Ex-Girlfriend

It is an academic matter. That doesn't mean it is not also a personal matter; the other students could very easily see it as tattling.

Yeah, they might, but thats not their call. Organized cheating rings are common and are a very serious matter.

And besides, what is done is done.

[mulletman]

I'm wondering why it matters what the heck the other students would see it as....

[jthomas1600]

Originally Posted by The Phantom Mullet

I'm wondering why it matters what the heck the other students would see it as....

If the teacher has given the students the impression that group collaboration is OK (and I have seen this done) then can you call it cheating if they continue to work together? I wasn't there of course.... if the teacher has not given this impression and said only log the birds that you actually see and can identify with your own eyes, then yeah it doesn't matter how they try to justify it.

[BillSPrestonEsq]

Originally Posted by jthomas1600

If the teacher has given the students the impression that group collaboration is OK (and I have seen this done) then can you call it cheating if they continue to work together? I wasn't there of course.... if the teacher has not given this impression and said only log the birds that you actually see and can identify with your own eyes, then yeah it doesn't matter how they try to justify it.

I agree with Ben. And going to the instructor answers that question once and for all.

Who cares if someone thinks it is tattling? It is a serious academic crime if it was not allowed, and if somehow Thrash missed the explicit permission of the teacher to collaborate, then the prof can square that away too.

[Becky]

People really underestimate professors. That's why my first advice to any new student is, during the first 3 weeks of class, GET TO KNOW YOU PROFESSOR. Introduce yourself after class, talk in class, go during office hours and find a question to ask them.

As long as you talk to the professor with respect, and humility, the chance of it backfiring are very very slim. If the professor was a jerk, you'd know that already.

Besides, have you thought about what will happen if you don't talk to him? He may know about the cheating already and assume that every student in the class cheated.

When you talk to him, like someone else said, don't speak in anger. Don't speak as if you are presuming what the teachers response to you should be. Just let him know what you observed, and your concern about whether their cheating might effect the way your own work is graded.

[Ben Colder]

Also, the professor may have devised this exercise as a new form of assessment and you have discovered that it is faulty. The professor should be told of the abuse, so that (s)he can consider another form of testing for next year. By contributing to the demise of this method, you could be preventing students in the future from the same form of injustice.

[onebrickshy]

Originally Posted by Becky

People really underestimate professors. That's why my first advice to any new student is, during the first 3 weeks of class, GET TO KNOW YOU PROFESSOR. Introduce yourself after class, talk in class, go during office hours and find a question to ask them.

As long as you talk to the professor with respect, and humility, the chance of it backfiring are very very slim. If the professor was a jerk, you'd know that already.

Besides, have you thought about what will happen if you don't talk to him? He may know about the cheating already and assume that every student in the class cheated.

When you talk to him, like someone else said, don't speak in anger. Don't speak as if you are presuming what the teachers response to you should be. Just let him know what you observed, and your concern about whether their cheating might effect the way your own work is graded.

I have to agree with this and several other posts. I TA'd a similar style lab and the exams. It is very possible that the professor already knows what went on(and usually who are the culprits, professors and TA's know who are problems within the first couple of weeks). If it is a big enough deal to speak to the professor, due so in a manner that doesn't appear to be undermining their authority. Also respectful and quiet interaction will be your best approach to avoid backlash from your fellow classmates(sounds stupid but in small, tightknit classes such as these, being "that guy" will often be worse than you can imagine)