So much college work to do...would this be cheating?

  • Thread starter Thread starter nahbios
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
N

nahbios

Guest
Hello everyone,

I’m doing a year-long Master’s course and it’s naturally very intensive. I’ve got six modules this semester and nine assignments to be handed in in two weeks time or less. One of these assignments is an unobtrusive observation report. I tried the observation last weekend, but it was a real disaster: the areas were either too noisy or seats were too far away from the area that I wanted to observe. I won’t deny that I was entirely blameless: I didn’t do enough preparation. I’m supposed to write up twenty pages for the report, and I know that I probably won’t even get ten done due to the need to get everything else done. To make matters worse, I hope to do my thesis under the supervision of the lecturer for the module from which this assignment comes. If I perform poorly in this assignment (worth over half of the module grade), it won’t look great when I approach her.

Would it be cheating (and sinful) if I made up things for the observation report in order to fill up the pages and get a pass grade?

Please answer soon - I’ve got to know!
 
I don’t know what kind of observation this is, can you do it again?
 
nahbios said:
Hello everyone,

I’m doing a year-long Master’s course and it’s naturally very intensive. I’ve got six modules this semester and nine assignments to be handed in in two weeks time or less. One of these assignments is an unobtrusive observation report. I tried the observation last weekend, but it was a real disaster: the areas were either too noisy or seats were too far away from the area that I wanted to observe. I won’t deny that I was entirely blameless: I didn’t do enough preparation. I’m supposed to write up twenty pages for the report, and I know that I probably won’t even get ten done due to the need to get everything else done. To make matters worse, I hope to do my thesis under the supervision of the lecturer for the module from which this assignment comes. If I perform poorly in this assignment (worth over half of the module grade), it won’t look great when I approach her.

Would it be cheating (and sinful) if I made up things for the observation report in order to fill up the pages and get a pass grade?

Please answer soon - I’ve got to know!
Click to expand...
Don’t make things up…my advice would be to talk to your professor, and see if you can get an extension. Never know, they are human…lol :o You might just get one. But, whatever you do, don’t cheat to get the assignment in…plus, you should do it for the value of the assignment…not just for the grade. Always better to go the honest route. 🙂
 
Havard: Yes, I could do it again (the weekend would probably be best), but given the amount of work I have to do for the other assignments (e.g. essay, take-home exam, another observation report, a research proposal, four blogs involving work on software for research, three group-work projects, blogs), I just don’t think it’s practical, to be honest. Time’s rapidly running out.
 
Whatevergirl is right, ask for an extension. If your prof declines your request, just do the best you can. I’ll pray for you!
 
Havard, Whatevergirl: thank you. And thanks for your offer of prayers, Havard: I need them. :eek:
 
nahbios said:
Hello everyone,

I’m doing a year-long Master’s course and it’s naturally very intensive. I’ve got six modules this semester and nine assignments to be handed in in two weeks time or less. One of these assignments is an unobtrusive observation report. I tried the observation last weekend, but it was a real disaster: the areas were either too noisy or seats were too far away from the area that I wanted to observe. I won’t say that I was entirely blameless: I didn’t do enough preparation. I’m supposed to write up twenty pages for the report, and I know that I probably won’t even get ten done due to the need to get everything else done. To make matters worse, I hope to do my thesis under the supervision of the lecturer for the module from which this assignment comes. If I perform poorly in this assignment (worth over half of the module grade), it won’t look great when I approach her.

Would it be cheating (and sinful) if I made up things for the observation report in order to fill up the pages and get a pass grade?

Please answer soon - I’ve got to know!
Click to expand...
 
nahbios said:
Hello everyone,

I’m doing a year-long Master’s course and it’s naturally very intensive. I’ve got six modules this semester and nine assignments to be handed in in two weeks time or less. One of these assignments is an unobtrusive observation report. I tried the observation last weekend, but it was a real disaster: the areas were either too noisy or seats were too far away from the area that I wanted to observe. I won’t deny that I was entirely blameless: I didn’t do enough preparation. I’m supposed to write up twenty pages for the report, and I know that I probably won’t even get ten done due to the need to get everything else done. To make matters worse, I hope to do my thesis under the supervision of the lecturer for the module from which this assignment comes. If I perform poorly in this assignment (worth over half of the module grade), it won’t look great when I approach her.

Would it be cheating (and sinful) if I made up things for the observation report in order to fill up the pages and get a pass grade?

Please answer soon - I’ve got to know!
Click to expand...
To “make up” academic observations would indeed be cheating.

A “rule of thumb” for academic work might be: if something would be unacceptable in the “real world”, it is unacceptable in a university. You are there not just to obtain a grade, but to prepare your CV for the professional world that your MA or MS would admit you to. In the “real world,” faked data are not just unaccepted, they (when they come to light) are abhorrent. It is a form of lying, and as such (IMNAAHO; IANAP) would be a sin.

A poor grade in one area will be MUCH less poisonous to your thesis than faking observational data. Go to your supervisor, and ask her for leeway.

God Bless and ICXC NIKA.
 
nahbios said:
Hello everyone,

I’m doing a year-long Master’s course and it’s naturally very intensive. I’ve got six modules this semester and nine assignments to be handed in in two weeks time or less. One of these assignments is an unobtrusive observation report. I tried the observation last weekend, but it was a real disaster: the areas were either too noisy or seats were too far away from the area that I wanted to observe. I won’t deny that I was entirely blameless: I didn’t do enough preparation. I’m supposed to write up twenty pages for the report, and I know that I probably won’t even get ten done due to the need to get everything else done. To make matters worse, I hope to do my thesis under the supervision of the lecturer for the module from which this assignment comes. If I perform poorly in this assignment (worth over half of the module grade), it won’t look great when I approach her.

Would it be cheating (and sinful) if I made up things for the observation report in order to fill up the pages and get a pass grade?

Please answer soon - I’ve got to know!
Click to expand...
Simple rule of thumb I give my students to know if something is cheating. If you can tell the professor you did it then it is not cheating. If you can’t tell the professor you did it then it is cheating.
 
You already knew the answer to this before you asked. What can you live with?
 
If you make it up, then it is fiction, not observation. If you claim that this fiction is fact, that is lying.
 
Thanks for your answers, everyone. Just feeling dazed at the thought of going back out there for five+ hours. :hypno:
 
Hiyas:)

I would approach the Professor. Asking them what would be the best course for you…i.e, an extension…incomplete…

I would be honest and tell them that you thought of just making stuff up.

Yep!!! CrAzY…I know. But do you think the Professor wasn’t ever bitten by the "Term Crunch’, while they were students?

You might be surprised at how they relate:)

As always, just my thoughts.
 
Those quick master’s programs are indeed intense, and as such the professors usually understand how things can sometimes get a little overwhelming. As others have said, just be straight up with the professor and see if you can make arrangements for getting the work done on a different timeline. It’s a pain to have to extend the work (believe me, I know) but it’s well worth it to do the work right in the end.

And, as an added bonus, as a Catholic, you can offer to Jesus the sacrifice of doing the work the right way – maybe as a prayer for those who feel overwhelmed, or lonely, or powerless, or for someone you know who needs extra prayers right now.

God bless you, and good luck! 😃

Gertie
 
Just a word of advice: when you ask your professor for an extension, without any fabrication or twisting of facts, it is quite reasonable to emphasize how much you want to do a good job on this assignment, and NOT to talk about how much work you have to do for other classes. (That would leave open the question why you are not doing this assignment first, and asking the other teachers for an extension.)
 
nahbios said:
Thanks for your answers, everyone. Just feeling dazed at the thought of going back out there for five+ hours. :hypno:
Click to expand...
I have been there…but out of my own poor time management back in college! 😊 You can do it…just keep telling yourself that. It might not be ‘‘perfect’’ but it will be real! Praying you make it through…AND get a good grade! But, check with your professor about what I said, the extension. Be truthful…say, I am really overwhelmed…I want to do well on this, any way I can get an extra few days to get this to you? The worst thing he/she can say is? NO. Praying for that extension for you!! :gopray:
 
Kimmie and Gertie: thank you both very much for your encouragement. I think I will indeed go to the prof and tell her my situation and just ask for advice on the best course of action.

And, Gertie, I neglected to think of it as a potential sacrifice and prayer in that way - that makes me feel a good deal more positive about it. Thank you!
And good luck in your doctorate!! I saw the timeline in your signature - wow! Major kudos from me to you! :clapping:
 
Hey friend,
Been there, done that, going back for more!
You’ve gotten your answers, they are good ones.
Advice:
  1. You’re probably going to have to pull at least one all-nighter. It’s not fun, but it gets the job done. Even seminarians occasionally work through the night 😉
  2. Can you observe two areas at the same time? If one area gets to a certain “critical mass”, can it count for two areas, since you might be getting much more information out of it?
Peace! Going back to my essay now 😉
 
RSD: thank you for that advice…I’ll remember that.

Whatevergirl: yes, I’m not exactly the model to follow when it comes to time management skills…but I am getting better. (I think…) Thank you very much for your offer of prayers - like I said earlier, I need those prayers and good wishes! :blushing:

Spirithound: thanks for taking time out from your essay to answer - it’s very generous of you. (My best wishes in your direction in that regard!!) Indeed, I can envision all-nighters speeding up along the deadline highway - I think it’s inevitable at this late stage. I am studying conversations between bookstore information/enquiry staff and their customers. Internal conversation (involving sales, in-store promotions, etc.) vs. external conversation (one type relating to literature and authors and the other relating to all kinds of everything, such as current affairs, politics, the weather, etc.). I planned to study this in a number of bookstores, though I ultimately only got about thirty minutes of work in two different stores (I’m supposed to do at least six hours of observation).
 
Don’t make things up. That’d be like lying. Ask for an extension.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top