New Equation in Education GS+C/P = E A/B

GS (Google Search) + C/P (Copy & Paste) = Easy A or B

Interesting article in the NYT

Plagiarism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age - NYTimes.com

My comment:

"Combining this article with 'Want a Higher G.P.A.? Go to a Private College' (http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/19/want-a-higher-g-p-a-go-to-a-private-college/) where the author Ms. Rampell writes 'The study, by Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy, uses historical data from 80 four-year colleges and universities. It finds that G.P.A.’s have risen from a national average of 2.52 in the 1950s to about 3.11 by the middle of the last decade.' yields a revealing picture. Ms. Rampell also writes that 'Based on contemporary grading data the authors collected from 160 schools, the average G.P.A. at private colleges and universities today is 3.3. At public schools, it is 3.0.' I have some students who are highly ethical, work hard, and graduate with honors- but their performance is almost indistinguishable from that of others who take the easier way out. An economic argument can be proposed for downloading (music or movies or books or anything else) illegally. Failure to cite is an indication of laziness or trying to pass off another person's work as one's own, or both.
In the larger picture, it is hard to punish the plagiarism violations when society rewards the much bigger misdeeds of the leaders of Wall Street and other industries with big bailouts and bigger compensation. Before we come down too hard on the students, let's first point the finger at the adults in society. Teachers and professors are expected to demonstrate high ideals and set good models of behavior and conduct. When they succumb to parents' pressure or an administration's push for leniency we should not expect much better from our students. Unfortunately the widespread and increasing use of adjunct faculty and other non-tenure track faculty creates an economic incentive to let plagiarism and other misdeeds slide.