From: luser.droog@nospicedham.gmail.com   
      
   On Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 5:17:19 PM UTC-6, Rod Pemberton wrote:   
   > "Nathan"  wrote in message   
   > news:0131b665-b7d0-476e-93a2-415d9dc797c7@g11g2000yqe.googlegroups.com...   
   > >   
   > > I see it as a "good thing"(tm) that they also appear   
   > > occasionally in Usenet groups.   
   > >   
   >   
   > The solution is for the teachers change their homework requests to have   
   > constraints unknown or inaccessible to those outside the class.  So far,   
   > this is one of the better ones I've seen.  It's got at least four things I'd   
   > consider to be unknowns.   
   >   
   > I have mixed feelings when this happens.  Learning how to do it for yourself   
   > is the entire point of being a student.  I know from first hand experience   
   > that they won't learn anything if they don't do it themselves.  If you have   
   > no interest, desire, or motivation, because it's boring, too easy, too   
   > complex, bad teacher, or you're distracted because you're in love, have   
   > problems at home/roomates/work, or involved in too many time consuming   
   > activities like sports, fraternities, or work, you just won't do well.  It's   
   > as simple as that.  You have to have a stable, distraction free, quiet   
   > environment with plenty of extra available time, and a strong motivation and   
   > focus.   
   >   
   > However, I still have strong desire to help struggling students.  Sometimes   
   > a little help from others is all they need for them to figure things out on   
   > their own.  I found that out by helping a few people who weren't the best of   
   > students.  When I post a solution, I try give them something that is so far   
   > beyond what they are actually capable of a that point in time, that 1) the   
   > teacher is clearly suspicious, or 2) the teacher will be getting the same   
   > solution from dozens of students for the next ten years... unless the   
   > teacher adapts.  They can make things more difficult for others to help, or   
   > they can warn students.  "We're aware of this solution on the Internet.   
   > Don't turn that in to us.  If you do, it's an F-.  If you turn in a blank   
   > paper, D+."  Even the worst student will take a D+ over an F-.   
   >   
      
   I think this is a good approach. I've done similar myself. In fact a few   
   years ago there was an attempt on codegolf.SE to make a contest out of   
   this sort of thing. They called it "Code Trolling". It's a brilliant name,   
   but it didn't last long. The whole point was apparently lost on the wave   
   of new participants who submitted answers. So they had to shut it down hard.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)