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Teachers and students need to keep their eyes on<snip>
the prize: The goal is to _learn the material_!!!
Looking something up is not necessarily incompatible
with learning the material ... depending on the
attitude the student brings to the process.
a) Looking it up and mindlessly copying it
verbatim onto the answer sheet ... that's bad.
b) Looking it up, thinking about it, figuring
out what the method is, and internalizing the
method so it can be applied to a wide class of
similar problems ... that's fine.
I can preach about the distinction between (a) and (b)<snip>
... but I don't know any way of making it an enforceable
rule. I can't legislate attitude.
My policy on homework has two parts:
*) Unless otherwise stated, you may solve the problem
by any means at your disposal. This includes searching
the web, scouring the library, and talking to people.
(But remember, you remain responsible for understanding
the material. Homework is assigned for a reason. It's
not just a scavenger hunt.)
*) In all cases, you must cite your sources. Otherwise
it's plagiarism, which is not tolerated. Example:
-- "Following the method in Jackson, integrate
by parts."
-- "Joint work with my friend Pat."