Question

What is the best way to approach a subject that I am knowledgeable in without enabling questioners to submit homework problems?

Answer 1

First of all, great question @benjica. In terms of 'enabling questioners to submit homework problems' - you can't really know or control that behavior. What you CAN do is approach *every* question with the goal of teaching the asker how to find the solution.

My method is to ask the asker what part they are having problems with (often you can find out quickly how engaged the asker is in finding out if they want to learn). Then, I usually try and lead the asker towards the solution. Again, the goal here is to feel that when you leave the asker, they will be far better prepared to solve that kind of problem in the future.

As always, your best effort is all that is required, and it sounds like you already have the right intentions. I'm so happy you asked this question however, because it's an extremely important issue. Let me know your thoughts on what I've said, because I'm sure this is a question that many other people have as well. Thank you!

Answer 2

I was unsure of the economics of the situation. If medals are awarded equally for those seeking help and those seeking answers then the really good work is lost in the fog of cheats. There have been a couple questions where my answers, when leading to understanding and the answer, are given in parallel of the final answer and the asker rewarded the final answer.

It just seems as though there are two types of participants. The first group is in the pursuit of furthered education and encourages the understanding of answers, while the other is interested in the game of gaining rank. I see this platform as an invaluable tool for students and educators alike. However, I can foresee many educators shying away or prohibiting in fear of cheating and gaming of the system.

I figured this problem would be self evident and the site would have already had this open for discussion.

Answer 3

Hi @benjica - first of all, I can assure you that this topic has been a major point of conversation and debate for a while now. Both internally within OpenStudy, on the site itself, and within our User Advisory Council. We absolutely understand your concerns, and are working to ensure the best possible solution to these issues.

Due to the complexity of this problem, we feel that it is best addressed through a variety of approaches - involving features, culture, moderation, and rewards. In terms of how OpenStudy is moderated, we are in the process of releasing a new Code of Conduct, whose sole aim is to address the types of issues you are mentioning here.

When it comes to the issue of cheaters, we are completely on board with you on that issue. The concern we have is that it is very difficult to really control the traffic to the site. What we *can* control, however, is the way we reward those who help this traffic. We are in the process of revamping our rewards system to better reward the actions you described above, while dis-incentivizing the actions that reward and retain people who come to cheat. While this will result in some conflict and loss of certain users, we feel that it is the best solution for our users in the long run - and thus, OpenStudy.

I can assure you that this issue is very much on our radar, and it has been discussed at length in this very forum. However, this is not to say that I don't appreciate you bringing it up. Users like yourself, who vocalize your opinion on this particular issue, make us feel more confident about the changes we are in the process of implementing. Thanks again! And please feel free to respond to this - I honestly really appreciate hearing user input on this matter.