Job Discussion Forums

johnslat · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 2:58 pm Post subject:

Yup, we REALLY need a sarcasm emoticon. Rolling Eyes

Regards,
John

buravirgil · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 3:09 pm Post subject:

MuscatGary's use of "endemic" to characterize middle eastern culture (people and their values) is poor-- usually applied to a disease or condition and plants and animals.

Tribal cultures do behave differently from western ones in which individualism is valued. My best Saudi students teased me with their efforts by the euphemism of "cooperation, teacher".

I was uncharacteristically lucky in my experience: "cheating" was an issue for which we designed our measures through iterations (we used four). This also served to normalize our results.

As far as "in all walks of life", I explained it this way: When I would go to a ministry or office, I had to find "the guy". That is (to generalize), there might be a staff of five men, but four of them would make excuses or try to reschedule a request because they didn't know much. But there was always one who did. You just had to find him.

I never witnessed any graft. Wasta is a thing, it was explained to me, that happens over tea cups in Riyadh.

CANDLES · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 4:07 pm Post subject:

I find it it totally sad when people try to justify someone's ignorance as Happyinshangqui is trying.

Never mind, it takes all sorts to make this world.

MuscatGary · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 4:12 pm Post subject:

esl_prof

CANDLES · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 4:15 pm Post subject:

That was my Original topic- returning home. Very Happy

MuscatGary · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 4:17 pm Post subject:

CANDLES · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 4:44 pm Post subject:

Nothing untoward. I forget to change it. Oops!

johnslat · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 7:39 pm Post subject:

Well, there's this:

9 November 2014

The students who feel they have the right to cheat
By Craig Jeffrey Uttar Pradesh, India

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29950843

Regards,
John

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 9:40 pm Post subject:

And this:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31998343

MuscatGary · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 11:17 pm Post subject:

To a certain extent I think it depends on how we visualize education and the need for education. When I first arrived in Oman the College I.T. Dept. consisted (officially) of two Omani guys who liked to watch porn on their computers and four Omani girls who liked to watch romantic movies, naturally they were in separate offices. All of them had degrees in I.T. from SQU and the title of computer specialist. The REAL I.T Dept. consisted of the six Omanis and two Indian guys who were located in a room with no windows and no glass in the door, only a few people knew they existed and I was one of them by virtue of my job. The Omanis would field enquiries from teachers about problems and then call the Indians who were brilliant I.T. technicians to get the solution. Most of the time this worked well unless the Omanis made an error in writing down what they were told by the Indians. After two years the Indians were replaced (Omanised) by six more Omani girls and after another year, when the two guys were losing face too much and left, by four more resulting in a total of 14 Omani girls who had nobody to ask what to do (except me but that's another story). In this scenario what's the difference between asking another student for the answer and asking an invisible worker what to do?

johnslat · Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 1:25 pm Post subject:

Dear MuscatGary,

Well, given the links above, the knowledge and efficiency displayed by the Indian employees might indicate that cheating may produce superior students. Very Happy

Regards,
John

esl_prof · Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 4:46 pm Post subject:

It looks like cheating creates some pretty lucrative opportunities for former disgruntled professors and students as well:

The Shadow Scholar: The man who writes your students' papers tells his story
https://chronicle.com/article/The-Shadow-Scholar/125329/

Perhaps we're all in the wrong line of work Wink

MuscatGary · Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2015 7:55 pm Post subject:

happyinshangqiu · Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 9:47 am Post subject: