Korean Job Discussion Forums

Falstaff · Joined: 14 Jan 2004 Location: Ansan

I know I've caught a number of students cheating. Text messaging, internet plagarism, cheat sheets, and a whole lot of other things. At my school we had an incident two years ago where we caught about 150 students cheating on an assignment.

The most creative cheating I ever saw was a student who had a Coca-Cola bottle, took a knife and cut off the plastic label, wrote answers on the inside of the label, then carefully glued the label back on. Came into class with a full bottle, started drinking it, and could eventually read the answers through the bottle. I caught on when I noticed he was holding the bottle up a lot longer than normal. Very clever. Normally I give zeroes for cheating, but I allowed him to take an alternate test. I gave him some credit for ingenuity.

And I agree with mindmetoo. Kids will try to cheat and lie as long as they can get away with it. Hell, adults will, too. I don't think ethnicity has anything to do with it. Laziness is found all over the globe.

Draven · Joined: 03 Feb 2003

Demophobe · Joined: 17 May 2004

Personally, I think the whole idea of "cheating" has different roots and definitions in a tiny country with 50 million people.

Competition in intense for everything, that's why the ajooma jumps ahead in lines, the guys at Yongsan like cash sales, the government officials are tempted by people's cash at every turn and the kids cheat in school.

I'm not saying it's right, but it's part of the mindset here.

Cheating is just part of the whole game. Teachers perhaps don't care, because they may have cheated as well and know that to be a successful cheater is perhaps more useful in this world than being honest and perhaps failing. Cheating is part of the advancement process and it is a skill that if honed to an art, serves people well in this country.

I am not saying that they are all bad people because they cheat, nor am I saying that theyare even dishonest. They are just doing what they do.

It is wrong morally and academically, but when your only motivation is to get all that you can before anyone else does, it puts it into perspective at least.

Zed · Joined: 20 Jan 2003 Location: Shakedown Street

Yes, people will try to cheat in every culture but here it's expected and acceptable. That's why punishment is lenient or non-existent.

hellofaniceguy · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: On your computer screen!

How I handle cheating students? At the start of each semester, I post the rules in Korean and English.

Don't disrespect your fellow classmates and me by being an idiot and disrupting the class.

Cell phones OFF. If it rings in my class, you're out for the period.
The second time, you're out for a week.
I don't give you grades, you earn them. Don't come crying to me if you did not study, skip class, etc. and take an exam and fail. I didn't do it to you, you did it to yourself.
I don't change grades. Never. Don't even ask. If you ask, I'll make an exception and lower the grade.
If you are caught cheating, looking at another student's paper/exam, you both have earned a failing mark. The cheater and the student whose paper you were copying. You KNOW when someone is trying to look at your answers! You can "feel" them looking over your shoulder, etc...
And you did nothing to prevent it.
If you are late, you are marked absent for the day unless you have an excuse from the uni president. It is YOUR responsibility to be at class on time. You are not children. If you can go partying at night, you can be on time for class.
You think I'm joking, test me then. Don't like my class, don't sign up next semester. Until then, let's learn something together and learn to be adults and behave responsibly.

I find that the serious students who want to learn have no problem with the rules.

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

Draven · Joined: 03 Feb 2003

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

Draven · Joined: 03 Feb 2003

CanadaCommando · Joined: 13 Feb 2004 Location: People's Republic of C.C.

Whenever I ask kids who have been in school in both North America and Korea what the major difference between the two is, I always get the same two answers:

1) The Beatings
2) The Cheating

Not talking about one or two kids here, but several dozen that view cheating as problem that is inherant on the high pressure school system of Korea.

I myself only give oral tests, so kids cant cheat...Takes ALOT of one on one time though...

PS. The thread refered to by UrbanMyth did not talk about whether it was right or wrong to lie about having a degree, but rather the morality behind turning some in to immigration. BIG difference.