It seems a lot of individuals utilize OpenStudy to have others do their work for them, and not necessarily learn. There also seem to be a fair number of people willing to do that work for them and not try to aid or help. Do the creators of OpenStudy see this as an unavoidable consequence of the format?

Question

It seems a lot of individuals utilize OpenStudy to have others do their work for them, and not necessarily learn.  There also seem to be a fair number of people willing to do that work for them and not try to aid or help. Do the creators of OpenStudy see this as an unavoidable consequence of the format?

anonymous · Answer

If "rep" is your principal motivation, then it is a consequence.

U have to wonder whether they would do the work without the "reward".

The upside is that some really do want to learn and they have the possibility to do so.

rainbow · Answer

One of the positives of this site---regardless of the questioners' motives---is that teaching (answering the questions) reinforces/clarifies one's own understanding of the material in question.  And, the larger group benefits from the Q & A. I find that the multiple perspectives and answers (as well as style of express) expand my knowledge and network of learners.

shadowfiend · Answer

While a goal of gaining reputation makes this some level of inevitable, there are a few things to keep in mind:
 - People can and should encourage those seeking just answers to learn. Don't be obnoxious about it, but the idea is that when they are ready to learn, the community will be there to help them along.
 - We are looking into ways to reward better help more, so that the incentive to just post answers is reduced. A lot of people, if given detailed help, will take it. But if an answer is simply presented to them, they'll take that, too.
 - People will find `just answers' anyway. If they're finding them on OpenStudy, we (as a community) can guide them towards learning instead of just answering. It won't always work, but we consider that to be Better (tm) than just finding answers via Google, because they will be part of a community that is actively trying to get them to learn. They can refuse to do so, and that's fine, but the encouragement is still there.

This is an issue that we are constantly discussing internally (constantly -- like once every day or two), and our stance on it and what we're trying to do about it is constantly evolving as we see how people use the site and come up with potential solutions and try them out.