On Sun, Mar 02, 2003 at 01:20:27PM +0000, Alan Clifford wrote:
Ben Crowell is attempting use a technological solution for a problem
of bad manners. If his pupils are sending him emails such that he
cannot identify the originator, then he should be teaching them
manners. This is not technical problem and is not one that can be
solved with procmail.
Good grief, what is happening in our education system?
While I share the thought, I also have my own practical experience
to rely on to tell me that Ben Crowell does, indeed, have a not-
entirely-easy problem to solve. I created the first email-based college
course for my former employer in 1996; and taught several email- and
web-based courses for the college off-and-on until -- well, I'm still
finishing up my last bunch.
It is entirely embarrassing how unprofessional these college kids are.
I've had identical experiences to Ben's. The students send email from
all over the planet using form that looks closer to a kidnapper's ransom
note, or a spammer's, than to any kind of respectable student-teacher
correspondence. I have had students with email addresses as bizarre as
the one Ben shared, and worse. ("killer@" was one.) And the students
have no compunctions about switching email addresses without warning or
about failing to sign their notes or their attached assignments.
Most of the whole generation (probably it includes more of you reading
this than are here of my generation and ilk) is down the toilet, I'm
sorry to say. I catch them with regularity plagiarizing, and often they
express no guilt and state no apology. And these are not brilliant
plagiarism jobs, I can tell you! Somebody who can't differentiate
"there" from "their" or "they're" for six English papers in a row,
and suddenly he's sending in an article verbatim out of the _Atlantic
Monthly_.
Oh: two weeks ago some student stole, out of a classroom where I'd left
them, my overcoat and gloves (inherited from my father, the both) and a
wonderful winter beret that was a present from my girlfriend from this
last Christmas.
--
dman
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