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Microsocft MVP: Tablet PC
Classroom bias against Tablet PC printed work?
9 March 2007Posted By: TracyPosted in: Tablet Concepts
I’ve often wondered what my poor TA’s must think when they see a computer printed version of a handwritten assignment. I’ll admit, it looks like it was copied with a copy machine, depending on how I print it. Unfortunately, it seems like some graders do mistake these innocent pieces of hard work as possible ethics violations.
Are students being called out for copying other’s work? Not so directly (that I know of), but several students are reporting a distinct difference in grading between a Tablet PC printed homework and a classmate’s notepaper homework.
According to forum user Seesquared:
I did my assignment on the tablet, printed it off (on a black and white laser printer), and handed it in. When I got the assignment back, they had marked me much harder than my friends - I lost nearly 40% because of a forgotten negative sign, whereas others who got methods entirely wrong lost only a few marks. I was a little annoyed, and I showed my friend my assignment, and she said “Do you always hand in photocopies? They’re probably marking you harder because it looks like you cheated”.
But violations of academic honesty aren’t the only reason Tablet PC created assignments are apparently being regarded differently.
Forum user h2oski1326 reports:
I do all my HW on my tablet and during last semester it was very obvious that there was some kind of bias toward my method of writing the assignments.
I don’t think it was because people think I cheated, because I know I would have been approached. I really could never put my finger on it outside of just plain jealousy. The only other thought I had was that assignments written on a tablet would stick out like a sore thumb to a grader. This attention may unknowingly lead a grader to take a much closer look at an assignment that he/she normally would.
So what does this mean for a Tablet PC using student? Well, it means society doesn’t quite know what to do when handed a printed yet handwritten assignment that is meant to be the original. It makes sense, though potentially unfair. While often a Tablet generated report is neater and generally more eye catching (good for the work place and some classrooms), most classrooms operate under a critical eye.
I really don’t know anyone stupid enough to literally copy someone else’s homework and turn in the photocopy, but apparently that doesn’t keep graders from being suspicious. If they’ve never heard of a Tablet PC, the only way for an assignment to turn up this way is if it is a photocopy. If a grader doesn’t know how something was generated, yes, it will catch their eye.
The best advice I have to offer is to let your graders know you will be using your Tablet PC to complete your assignments. Write them a note on your first homework, or add a footnote to the end of your assignments.
Other advice to make your work blend in and look like an original:
You could write your homework in Journal with colored ink, then print it in color. At my school, we are (supposedly) allowed to print things in color in some of our general access computer labs. That way you can turn in color ‘ink’ and hopefully not get marked off. –thegreatdilberto
I print in color, and my new printer will print all the way to the edge of the page. It is still quite obvious to me that it was written on a tablet but it isn’t as noticeable a difference between my work and a paper and pencil assignment now. I have also noticed less ‘bias’ toward my assignments now as well. -h2oski1326
And if you still suspect an unfair grading:
Speaking as a law student - at most institutions, you are owed some level of transparency and fairness in your academic evaluation. If they suspect you of cheating, they need to come out and say so. Otherwise, it would be both wrong and un-ethical (again, I’m speaking about most universities I know of) to simply mark you “harder” than your classmates. -benjaminries
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March 9th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
This is very interesting because I’ve been doing my homework on my tablet and printing it out for about two years and I have never noticed any kind of grading bias. Actually, not one of my TAs or Professors has ever asked me about the printed homework.
March 9th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
It’s quite interesting, I’ve actually had the exact same experience. Been handing in tablet assignments for 2 years starting in 2005 (I was off for a year on an internship) and I’ve never had any bit of bias show up. I’ve even handed in some labs (I’m an engineering student) with data sheets/notes from the day of printed from a tablet note. (All printed in colour, though).
March 10th, 2007 at 6:51 am
Actually, I noticed some of this bias in my last semester. The one thing I did notice: When my instructors saw me actively taking notes on my tablet, it seems my grades were not affected. If they didn’t see me, then my papers were (it seems) graded more harshly. I actually had an assignment nailed cold, and got less points than someone who really screwed it up. When I pointed it out, I was re-graded, and got a higher score. Never be afraid to challenge a grade, especially when an instructor uses a student grader.
March 10th, 2007 at 7:38 am
[…] Tracy Hooten of The Student Tablet PC has posted an interesting think piece on something I certainl hadn’t thought about. If you ink a homework assignment, print it out to turn in, the printed output looks very much like it was copied. This makes graders suspicious as to the authenticity of the work being turned in, perhaps thinking that the student had copied someone else’s work. […]
March 10th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Don’t tablets offer optical character recognition(OCR). Just convert it to text and print that. I’ve always been thanked by professors and TA’s alike for turning in typed work. It’s much easier for them to grade and in some cases, I believe, contributes to a higher grade.
March 10th, 2007 at 1:37 pm
[…] Tracy Hooten of The Student Tablet PC has posted an interesting think piece on something I certainl hadn’t thought about. If you ink a homework assignment, print it out to turn in, the printed output looks very much like it was copied. This makes graders suspicious as to the authenticity of the work being turned in, perhaps thinking that the student had copied someone else’s work. […]
March 10th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
That only works if you’re handing in a written assignment, such as for a history class or english class. Most math/science type assignments probably wouln’t convert that well.
March 10th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Not sure if I’ve been marked unfairly because of turning in work written on a Tablet PC.. however, I did get an assignment back once with a note from the TA asking to see the “original.” Haha… Since there was no “original,” I don’t know what the outcome was. I did pretty ok in that course in the end though. I wrote a note on my next assignment explaining that I use a Tablet PC, and I didn’t receive any more notes asking for originals. Who knows..
I’m still handing in Journal-printed assignments this term, and don’t think that I’ve run into any hitches yet. At least, no one has complained yet.
March 10th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Are you not allowed to submit soft copies of your work? Seems to me that would be one way to send an “original”.
March 10th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Since I am a teacher and a grad. student, I would think all you have to do is explain, ahead of time (like the first class), that you use a tab. Maybe show them how it works and you should be fine. I’ve never encountered any problems, but in grad. school we don’t have TAs. I don’t think teachers want to unfairly mark anyone, it’s probable just a lack of understanding. It would be wise to ask the teacher if it’s alright, rather than assume. This way you show the teacher that you respect their authority, and I can’t think of any reason why they would say no. But it’s just my opinion, and there are some jerks out there, so I guess anything is possible. Good luck.
March 11th, 2007 at 7:03 am
I am an undergrad student and have never had any problems with my tablet work. professors see me taking notes on my tablet (I make sure to ask them if it is ok ahead of time) and when I turn in my work (the only class is math for turning in work) I usually get full marks. some professors actually seemed interested in tablets. I know when I become a professor I will use a tablet (although it would be a slate, my r15 is just so damn cumbersome at times)
March 11th, 2007 at 7:12 am
As an engineering professor, I can say that at times we have a terrible time with our graders. I have seen graders take it upon themselves to yell at students for cheating or other infractions. I have had graders tell me to send any students who had problems with their grading to them. I insist on dealing with grading problems myself, partly to be able to judge the grader. Some graders can be quite inconsistent, as they may have faced an inconsistent situation in their undergraduate studies, and that is what they know. I have never had a student turn in an assignment that was done on a tablet PC, but since my class notes are on a tablet, I would recognize it right away. If you do your work on a tablet, you might try writing your name and date clearly on each problem, so that it shows up in the same handwriting on the pages. A photocopy with an ink name on it is almost surely a sign of cheating, but if the laser printed copy has your name and date in the same handwriting, it might be harder to argue that it is a copy of someone elses work. Show your professor your tablet as well, and do see the professor if you feel that you are graded unfairly. I would love it if my entire class used a tablet. Then I could use electronic homework submission, which is much easier to deal with, rather than a stack of papers that can get lost, and have to be passed back and forth between me and the grader.
March 11th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
i’ve been afraid of exactly what yall are talking about. The only class i have homework due for is Calc II and i’m just staying on the safe side and keeping my homework on normal paper, which i think is good to go back to using every once in awhile… i really don’t use anything but my tablet anymore.
March 11th, 2007 at 5:50 pm
Hi, I am a local teacher in Hong Kong. I was interested in your topic since there are 70 students (2 class) in my school are using Tablet PC in doing their homework every day in every subjects for 2 years. We usually used Windows JOurnal and Word for their homework. And our teachers marked students’ work in our tablet too. What I can say is: It Works!
I do lots of presentation and sharing in Hong Kong, if you are interested, here is the ppt of the present: http://www.ccl.edu.hk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=521&Itemid=73
Here is an sample of students’ work: http://www.ccl.edu.hk/images/stories//subject/eng/wj4e02.gif http://www.ccl.edu.hk/images/stories//subject/eng/wj4e10.gif
March 12th, 2007 at 8:44 am
Hmm, I don’t believe I’ve ever had any harsh grading as a result of my print-outs, but I have had a couple less tech-savvy instructors inquire about why I was photo-copying my homework (they knew it was my handwriting).
That said, I think the best advice is exactly what Mark says above– communicate directly with the professor at the beginning of the course about your use of a TabletPC, that way your intentions are made very clear. It is a practice that has served me well on open-note/open-book tests (for those cases where I have eBooks).
March 17th, 2007 at 10:50 am
I am also an instructor and PhD student. Every term I have to have the basic show&tell when everyone stares at my computers, but I have never had anyone grade me harshly. In the thousands of students I have had only 2 have submitted work from a tablet and it was clear it was done on a tablet. I wonder what would have happened with a professor that didn’t know what created it?
March 24th, 2007 at 5:51 pm
I wonder if another component is that there is something more “final draft”-y about turning in what appears to be a photocopy or print out, so it’s less likely that wrong answers or mistakes seem accidental or like careless mistakes. If graders (even subconsciously) take off more points for “real” mistakes than for accidental or careless ones, then you’d be graded more harshly if it seemed like you were turning in a proof-read final-draft-type homework.
Sort of like typed homework — if it’s typed up (which some students do for math/engineering homework) and there’s a mistake, it seems as though you must have been committed to it — it couldn’t have been careless or something you just didn’t notice since you went to the trouble of typing it and probably proof reading it to begin with.