taylor@limbo.Intuitive.Com (Dave Taylor) (02/02/90)
>On the subject of cheating......I still recall the day I took my first >final exam during my freshman year. We were allowed to leave the room, >but not the building. I believe the exams were proctored. However, during >the semester we were on the honor system during tests (what a joke that was). >I went to the bathroom, only to discover that each and every stall was taken. >Furthermore, I could distinctly here the rustling of papers, followed by them >being tossed into the bowl and flushed. I was floored by the experience. >Perhaps I was a bit naive at that point in my life, but I expected better of >those people because it was "allegedly" a prestigious engineering school. I >didn't think so much after that, and other experiences. Sorry to hear you had such a hard time with the honor system. At my undergraduate school, we were on the honor system from day 1. The students could (legally) get keys to almost all the buildings on campus, so that they could get into them at night. I had one in-class exam in four years, and no proctored exams. Most of the take home exams were timed, and many of them were closed book. That's right, you were on your honor to spend only three hours on the exam, and to use no books. Our honor system worked, not perfectly of course, but the failures were so few, and the benefits so great, that the students and faculty would have been outraged if it was abolished. That honor system was one of the most positive experiences of my life. Tell me your school and I'll tell you mine... John Sahr, | Electrical Engineering - Space Plasma Physics johns@alfven.spp.cornell.edu | Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853