Recently we were assigned a project in my History of Science class. It was relatively small, but something most students arent used to doing. We had to find 2 or more sites on a topic and compare and contrast there usefulness as sources. This was a group project, and both of us were required to be involved in every step of the project.
So at first my partner and I wanted to find sites that analyzed what early christian thinkers (ie Augustine mostly) thought about the scientific (more correctly ‘natural philosophy’) thought of earlier non christian thinkers. I didnt know much about the topic, and we found a couple of sites that looked vaguely interesting in this regard. The plan was to have him write about one site, myself the other, then I would synthesize the two into a coherent paper (only 3 pages, easy peasy).
The problem was as I began to do my project, and after he sent me his work and once I began looking at my site I realized that the sites really had nothing to do with the history of science, and based on the difficulty I had in finding these sites, I presumed that there was simply not much out there.
So it was the last minute, and my partner has an uncanny reputation for his lack of intelligence, I switched topics to something I personally knew about, found two sites and went away writing on them. I told him (after I turned it in, I was working against the clock) that I realized that both of our original sites had nothing to do with the history of science, so I switched to something and wrote something about it. I made this decision based on both of our grades, and I didnt want to go ahead with something he had decided was worthwhile but I had expressed concerns about.
So, given that my decision will net a better grade, or at least has more potential (the new topic was Anaxagoras’s natural philosophy) was it ethical for me to decide to bite the bullet and just switch topics, knowing it would exclude him from the final product? Was it wrong for me to make the last minute decision (and my partner was fairly stubborn on the topic and low on communication skills) and save both of our grades? Or should I have included his slop with my brilliance ( )?
Essentially the choices were: turn in crap, unrelated to course topic, but that we both worked on and both approved, and get a bad grade or turn in something decent, perhaps without his approval, get good grade.
Actually, I think it WAS unethical (or at least impolite) not to call him before the switch. He was supposed to be an equal part of the project. If one person makes all the decisions and does all the work, then you really aren’t completing the assignment as given. It’s a form of cheating. The point is to learn how to work WITH another person. Something you obviously failed to do.
It sounded like you made the decision to switch without consulting him. If you brought the problems with the original topic to his attention, and he was still being a butt about it, THEN I think you would be within your rights to go ahead without him. It was my impression that he was unaware of the problems with the topic. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have switched, just that you should have TOLD him first.
Yes, perhaps you are correct. Part of the problem was procrastination on both of our parts, I didnt get his part till the day before (and I didnt really have time to do it then) and I didnt want to waste time hemming and hawing with him. I felt I had to make a decision and act on it quickly without trying to get in touch with him then talking it over etc etc. I wanted to spend my limitted time on the project, so at the end of it all, hed see hey good grade and realize I made a good decision. Once I was dedicated to that track, I wanted to see the best come out of it to justify the decision. I did tell him after the fact for all its worth.
Aside from the fact that this was supposed to be a group project (clearly I violated the intent of the project in that respect) did I disrespect or dishonor him? If the end result is a good grade why does it matter. Or did I disrespect him by not using any of his (perhaps well intentioned) effort into the project and hence doing a crappy project but with him involved? Is it plagiarism on my part for claiming he did work when he didnt?
I think you could have given him a chance to contribute to the new topic. I mean, I know what you mean about teaming up with people, I got saddled with idiots too when I was in college. I tried to use other people’s “ideas” in a way where it seemed like they contributed more than they did. If you can even find one little kernel of thought in the other person you can sort of expand on it, and then give them credit for it. The guys I did this with would actually end up believing that they fleshed out a whole idea when all they said was like:
"…maybe we could talk about that triangle dude. You know, the one with the theory about the hippopatamus.
“You mean Pythagorus. The Pythagorean thereom. With the hypotenuse.”
“Yeah, THAT dude.”
After which I could send him out for Jolt Cola while I wrote the stupid paper. The other guy doesn’t actually have to BE that involved, just make him FEEL involved. Most guys are happy to let you do all the work as long as you keep them in the loop and give them some praise for whatever they do think up.
Sometimes they have too many ideas, though, and all of them are stupid. Here is where you say stuff like, “I think we can modify that,” or “why don’t we try a truncated version of your Borg theory.” It’s all just diplomacy, man, diplomacy.
Anyway, it’s not like you killed anybody. At most you were maybe just a little rude or maybe a tad dishonest about his input into the project. You can learn from it though.
Not only was it an unethical decision, IMHO, but it also could jeopardize the grade, and student status, for both of you. Submitting work that is not yours under your name, as this is in regards to your partner, is grounds for academic discipline. In short, it’s cheating. Your partner would have only one recourse: to inform the instructor or the disciplinary committee, that it was you who dumped all of the partner’s work.
I’m afraid I agree. The OP focuses myopically on the end result - the good grade - and fails to consider the intent of a group assignment. Clearly you would not hand in a paper your parents did for you under the rubric of, “Hey, it got an A+,” and the decision to substitute your own work for your partner’s, merely because he’s in disagreement with the route you wanted, is wrong.
Actually, it’s this thread. As the other respondents have pointed out, the assignment was not “choose the most capable member of the group and produce the best possible paper on topic X”, it was “working as a group of two, with involvement from both members of the group, produce a paper on topic X”. Academically, the intent was to teach collaborative research (invaluable both in academia and practical science). Ethically, the requirement was to represent the research of both team members in the final paper.
Your synthesis of your partner’s and your own research would have been perfectly ethical (and perfectly consistent with “normal” collaborative efforts). However, you not only rejected your partner’s research entirely, you deliberately kept him ignorant of your decision. Academically, this constitutes a failure of the assignment, no matter the final quality of the paper. Ethically, your failure is more profound, consisting of two censurable actions; a breach of your partner’s trust, and a breach of your responsibility as a student.
The ethically proper action now would be to inform your instructor of your unilateral actions, taking full responsibility. (If the instructor is him/herself ethical, your partner should be allowed to submit his part of the research assignment, to receive at least partial credit.)
When you are next assigned a group project, take into account the extra amount time required for working with someone else. I am surprised that you are in college and haven’t figured this out. Group dynamics always require more time. If you are unable to work with others let your professor know ahead of time. Basically you’re actions sent the message to your partner that you think he’s a dolt. You should apologize to him. Will you inform your professor of your decision?
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