How do you draw the line between legitimate homework help and cheating (See Details)?

I think, as you said, different people draw the line in different places. Generally speaking (and I’ve gotten into enough ‘cheating will lead to destruction of the entire galaxy/no it won’t,unclench’ debates on fluther), I don’t think it’s such a big deal to provide some help here and there. I think the kids will turn out all right.

Personally, I think the academic culture places too much of a stigma on “cooperative problem solving”.

I think teaching someone how to solve a problem is OK, but just giving them the answers teaches them nothing.

@ETpro “But the dolt will never know how to solve the equation, and won’t be able to hold down any job where such a skill is needed”.
Why would the internet serve him any less well on the job than in school?

Awhile ago, I tutored a community college student in writing. The second paper I helped her out with, she hadn’t even had time to choose a topic. I showed her techniques for brainstorming and outlining, and we planned on another meeting for after she’d done her research. She still hadn’t had enough time, and was spent from not sleeping enough and running around everywhere. I basically ended up co-writing her paper, only it took an agonizingly long time because I was trying hard not to write it for her entirely.

After that experience, I felt like it would be easier to write student papers for money, and skip the tutoring. Simple, clearcut cheating. I couldn’t find a good way to break into that. I did see a few websites (which didn’t pay enough) that had policies against writing certain papers for medical and law classes, or anything else likely to lead to a job in which one holds responsibility for someone’s life. I don’t really care if the calculus student fakes their way into a job, but I do hope that people online take the same stance those essay websites did with medical homework.

So, to answer the question… nope, didn’t really answer it there.

@ratboy Because it takes a day often to get the answer to a single math problem using the Internet and social media. And you may or may not get a correct answer. For an engineer or scientist, taking a day to solve one simple calculus problem will lead to a career in that field that’s maybe 1 month long, probably less. The dolt would be fired the moment their supervisor reviewed the work they had completed on the project.

@hobbitsubculture You would care intensely if a calculus student faked their way into a job designing bridges, and you were driving over a bridge they designed.

@ETpro Good point. I wondered if I was overlooking something like that when I wrote my response. Although engineering programs are purposely stringent to cull out that kind of student.