NUSWhispers – Confession #87187

Dear NUS students, In light of the CS1010E plagiarism news recently, I would like to speak constructively on this case. I am not from NUS but an SMU student. I am not here to shame or add salt to the affected students with their O mark module punishment. I want to address the root issues and dispel misinformation. Firstly, were there real evidences that the students cheated on the module? Ans: Absolutely yes, the anti-plagiarism software detected anomalies in the student's submission and manual checks were conducted by the lecturer. Even there was a slight chance that the software and manual check were not performing satisfactory and prudently, it can't be disputed when students came forth to admit they were involved in cheating. This significantly back up and support the statement that there was, in fact, real cheating. Stop pounting or refuting the system. There is real cheating back up by solid evidence. Secondly, pushing extreme views is not the way to address the problem. I have read a post that we need to be lenient because someone might commit suicide as the thought of having a cheating record in the transcript is equal to a criminal sentence. No job prospects, destroying the person's future, students are stress and worried, this is too much for just 1 intro level module etc. All of this need to stop. If every consequence were to lead to a what-if extreme case of commit suicide, we might as well apply that to every case. If that were to happen, we won't understand the meaning of consequence of action. We can't move forward as a society to teach the basic of ethics. It is a fair punishment whether you agree or disagree, affected or not affected. If you do something wrong and get caught for it, you will be punished. That is how society runs through laws, regulation, policies, and management decision. You know it because you are a member of society. If that is not clear enough, NUS students might not know or remember this, you might have signed or agreed to a contract called the code of conduct which means you are clearly aware that cheating is an offence. This is a common practice for all universities in Singapore. Don't believe me? Go find it on your university website. Don't try to flout the system. Thirdly, the "cheat but dont know how to cheat" thing should be approached with some reflection. As a student, I understand the stressed and worried of not getting a good grade. Everyone is stressed and worried, not just you. Look beyond your grades and figure out if it is really worth it. For this particular case, it is just a fundamental level of programming. If you really can't put in some level of effort or hardwork and resort to a cheating strategy, it just show that you are letting your fear to drive your actions. Pardon my words for this, you are just a coward who has no confidence to face a test. What happened to your confidence in skill development? Shift your mindset from cheating to exam smart. Look at past year papers , predict the questions to be tested in the exam. Ask seniors for the best advice to approach the module. Formulate a summarised note to have a clear picture of what you have learned. Calculate how much marks you need to score to get that grade and attack questions you know can score very well. These methods are appropriate and not against school policies. In closing, don't let fear push you into a disarray. It is not the end of the world if you get 1 bad grade.