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Are these forums a test answer resource??

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by dspeacock

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Is it just me, or has there been a marked increase in the number of people joining these forums (don't go by my date....this is the third or fourth ID I've had in almost 6 years) and posing questions worded and sounding EXACTLY like test or homework questions..looking for answers?

Don't get me wrong...I'm more than happy to assist someone with a problem, or share my knowledge if mine is relevant...but doing someone's homework or test for them....I don't think so.

Just curious.

21 replies

by slappymcnasty

I guess I don't see forums any differently than either other resource. You could go to the library and find the answer in some book, or Google the net to find it. Forums are just a world wide study group.

The question that remains is what the person does with the answer. If you ask what 1+1 is and the response is 2 and you do nothing own your own to figure out how the answer was arrived at, well, thats your problem.

by dspeacock

I agree that it is a valuable resource, but I'd be willing to bet just about anything that they do absolutely no research on their own....just get an answer from here and pass it off as their own.

Now if they are going to use the answer as a starting point for more research or so on..then no problem, but my first clue is the request that answers be sent to their personal e-mail account rather than have them posted here so a discussion can happen (friendly disagreements on the answers etc.) so ALL can benefit.

by shellbot

between asking what 1+1 is..and asking for an entire project..

a recent one was looking for someone to design and implement a database and then create a web application to access it..

these people need to get with it..and just think, these people are getting jobs after they pass off someone elses work as thier own..scary..

by why me worry?

No wonder today's younger generations are stupid...simply because they don't want to use the gray matter between their ears and expect everyone else to give them quick and easy answers. Mommy and daddy are also to blame for fostering such an "I'm entitled" spoiled behavior in these brats.

by dspeacock

ANd all along I thought, according to Douglas Adams, that the answer to life, the universe and everything was,

42

:-)

by maecuff

then you have to actually know the ultimate question.

I stand by 'D' as the correct answer on a test.

by nicknielsen

When I was teaching, I used to do my best to make sure that the answer distribution on any multiple-choice tests was relatively even.

One day a student asked what the "straight line" answer was. He explained that he wasn't worried about his grade in my class and had another, more important, test later that day that he wanted to study for. He wanted to know which of the four possible choices would give him the best grade if he answered every question with that letter. It started just for a laugh, but became almost a tradtion. Before each test, I would announce the best "straight-line" grade for that test and give the answer for that grade.

My students were amazed that the straight-line grade never made it above 30%.

by nicknielsen

I thought the ultimate question was "Why?" and the answer was "Because."

That's what my dad always told me.

by tig2

And that will likely never change.

For the guys in India that post looking for the answers to exams, I don't bother much. But there are people who post honestly that they are working on an assignment and the help that they want is more in terms of a direction. I love answering those.

In my life experience, I have seen all kinds of things and have, of course, developed opinions. The people who are asking questions around an assignment in which they don't want an answer but rather your opinion, can learn a lot just by being exposed to what you have learned in the course of your career.

And 42 is always good in a pinch. Or as Mae suggests, D.

by dspeacock

the old question:

Why does Dolly Parton get her bras at a Nissan dealer?

no one else makes a 240ZX

by dspeacock

Tig

You are correct..I have absolutely no problem sharing what little experience I have gained in my career with someone who genuinely is looking for direction or guidance. This person I will work with as long as it takes for them to understand the subject matter.

That said, I have ABSOLUTELY no patience or sympathy (found in the dictionary between s**t and sy***lis) for someone who is just too lazy to put a little bit of effort into coming up with an original thought of their own to try and find an answer, but rather tries to get it by cheating him/her self out of the learning experience.

The really frustrating part is that this person will probably get a degree and won't even be able to find the "any" key.

by tig2

But true ignorance will shine like a beacon, inevitably. And while that doesn't make it easier to put up with, it is a truth I hold on to.

When we started, we were dedicated to learning technology because we found it deeply satisfying. The people who we are turning over those lovingly built systems to are hardly qualified to plug them in to power. That is hard to take. At the same time, when business wants to innovate, we are often the people called to the table- not the strings of degrees with no knowledge behind them.

by jellimonsta

Hope all is well with you. I was AWOL for quite a while, but I will be lurking around (wow... stalkerish) more often now.
Not sure if you saw, but my wife and I are expecting baby #2 the end of May. :)

by maecuff

We're having fun with the new granddaughter. (still very odd for me). And my sister is expecting her second child in June. So, it's babies all around!

by w2ktechman

before it gets found out, often these people create new problems.
And I blame these 'types' on the decreasing salaries of true IT personell.

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