Exploring the ethical implications of MOOCs

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) represent a potentially exciting opportunity to use technology to realise many of the long-promised benefits of universal higher education. While there are many positive aspects to the MOOCs on offer and in development, there are also significant ethical concerns arising from various initiatives. These include the academic duties of care and integrity, commercial exploitation of learners, as well as research ethics concerns arising from the analytical and other work being done by academics and institutions. These issues are explored and a set of heuristics for individuals and institutions provided as a starting point for ethical analysis of MOOCs and associated activities.     

Turnaround time and market capacity in contract cheating

Contract cheating is the process whereby students auction off the opportunity for others to complete assignments for them. It is an apparently widespread yet under-researched problem. One suggested strategy to prevent contract cheating is to shorten the turnaround time between the release of assignment details and the submission date, thus making it difficult for students to make arrangements with contractors. Here, we outline some characteristics of the current market for contract cheating and demonstrate that short turnaround times are unlikely to prevent contract cheating because requested turnaround times for university-level assignments completed via contract cheating are already short (average 5?days). In addition, for every contractor awarded a job, there are an average of 10 others offering to complete it within the specified time suggesting that there is abundant excess capacity in the market.     

Maintaining academic integrity among East African university students

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine the extent to which academic integrity is maintained in the academic programmes of three East African university students selected from one of the universities in each one of the three countries. For confidentiality and identification purposes, the universities were labeled A, B and C. The level of academic integrity was interpreted on the basis of the extent to which participants admitted to have engaged in plagiarism and academic misconduct in its various manifestations. The findings clearly indicated that academic dishonesty is widely practised by East African university students. The extent to which this held true varied from one item to another of the sixteen questionnaire statements with the highest score being in items related to plagiarism. Overall, 37% of the students in university C, followed by 32% of students in university A and 24% of students in university B engaged in academic dishonesty. The rate at which academic dishonesty was reported was comparable to what has been reported in other countries including Canada, Ethiopia, South Africa, the UK and USA.     

体育生态系统特性及其实证分析

从整体性、层次性、开放性、适应性几方面分别阐述了体育生态系统具有别的系统不具备的鲜明个性,并结合体育教育生态系统进行实证分析。把握体育生态系统特性有助于实现体育生态系统的平衡与和谐,这是完善和发展体育生态系统的基本前提。     

高校科研诚信存在的问题及对策研究

目前,科研诚信问题在学术界泛滥,我国高校同样存在这一问题。文章阐述了当前高校科研诚信所存在的问题,并从科研主体自身及其所处环境出发找出问题产生的深层原因,进而提出加强高校科研诚信建设的若干对策。     

影响多胶模压定子线圈绝缘整体性的主要因素

线圈是电机的一个重要组成部件,其绝缘整体性的好坏将直接影响电机的运行质量和使用寿命。本文通过长期生产实践提出了造成发电机定子线棒绝缘整体性差的主要因素,并为今后提高定子线棒的绝缘性能提出了相应改进措施和建议。     

由"骨气"引起的思考

怎样才算真正的骨气?要敢于斗争,还要善于斗争。为了人民的事业,忍辱负重,也是另一种骨气。要教学生学会辩证地对待事物,要注意原则性与灵活性相结合。对课文涉及的思想内容,应该允许教师在不违背“四项基本原则”的前提下,独述己见。教师也应允许学生发表不同见解。     

加强高校教师思想道德建设的途径和方法

加强高校师德建设,是培养德才兼备教师队伍的重要内容。各级领导和全体教师必须正视师德现状,提高对师德建设重要性的认识。坚持教育、引导教师自觉加强师德修养,并把对师德的要求贯穿到教师岗位职责和产的有关政策中去,坚持在职业教育实践中锻炼和培养师德,这是加强高校师德建设的有效途径和方法。     

论公正的伦理意义和德性本质

公正是一个含义丰富且用法不一的概念。从政治伦理的角度区分 ,公正有三层涵义。从政府权能讲 ,公正就是正义 ,正义作为一种法理精神体现了制度安排的合理性 ;从社会伦理而言 ,公正就是公平 ,公平主要体现为一种社会利益的分配原则 ;从个体德性讲 ,公正就是正直。三者是一个有机整体 ,共同构成官德建设的灵魂     

现实主义的哲学背景探源

现实主义是从欧洲中世纪经院哲学转借而来的术语。其哲学背景是悠久而变易不居的。它既不是始于辩证唯物主义哲学 ,也不可以停滞在辩证唯物主义哲学 ,而是以其“批判的、革新的、反传统的”固有精神 ,随人类认识进程深化而不断有新内涵生成。反映在文艺上 ,则表现为一个兼容并蓄的综合体