The Difference Between Unethical Behavior / Cheating and Asking for Help
Future ECE 400 Student,
Many of the letters you will read on Rhea address classical topics of ethics, such as “Why is cheating bad?” or “How many times do we have to tell you to do your own work?”. I'd like to approach the topic of ethics from a less intimidating angle. Whether you are a freshman or a senior, you WILL find challenges in electrical and computer engineering. The math is hard. Some of the concepts are hard. You will be presented with complicated analysis techniques that are used to make some critical technology. Because of this, you should never be reluctant to ask for help.
The situation I'm trying to address here is, what should you do when you are in doubt? You have in front of you a daunting problem, maybe it's a single calculus problem or a large design project. You know that Purdue students are held to a high ethical standard and you're expected to bring forth your own solution, but something is lacking in your understanding. In this case, my view is that you should always ask a professor or fellow student for assistance.
Professors, first and foremost, will never cheat for you. You can raise your hand during an exam and ask a question, bring a homework assignment to an instructor or TA, or ask a question in class. They will always know where the line is. Their job is to test your knowledge, but it is also to make sure you have all the tools you are expected to have. Don't let talk about plagiarism prevent you from going to an instructor for help. Even if they get you started with a partial solution to a homework problem (something my professors do regularly), it's not the same thing as cheating. Like Nixon would say, 'If the president does it, it is not illegal'. If a professor answers your question, it's not cheating.
The less obvious case is asking fellow students for help and working collaboratively with them on homework and projects. This is where you as a student will be expected to do the right thing, every time. We are a resource for each other, and everyone has figured out by college that studying in a group forms stronger memories than studying alone. However there's studying, and there's trading solutions. It should go without saying but: know the difference between helping someone else UNDERSTAND HOW to do a problem and handing them THE SOLUTION. When working with each other, we are the line between ethical behavior and asking for help.
-Cody Cousins
Senior in ECE
