Volume VI

Issue : 6: March 20, 2008

• Ryerson Student Facebooked
• Rule Change May Put an End to Online Pharmacies in Manitoba
• Appeals Court Overturns Minnesota Videogame Law
• U.S. Gambling Measures Lead to EU Investigation
• Man Sentenced for Using File Sharing Programs to Commit Identity Theft
• Craigslist Not Liable for Discriminatory Postings
• U.S. Department of Treasury Stops European Websites for Trade with Cuba

Home > Volume VI > Issue 6: March 20, 2008 > Ryerson Student Facebooked

Ryerson Student Facebooked

Ryerson University engineering student Chris Avenir was facing possible expulsion over a study group he created on the popular social networking site Facebook. The 18 year-old Avenir started the 147 member group known as “Dungeons/Mastering Chemistry Solutions” as a means for fellow classmates to discuss and collaborate on chemistry assignments. Avenir claims that the group is akin to tutoring or a live study group. Avenir’s chemistry professor and the University strongly disagreed. The professor’s instructions for the assignments were for students to complete them independently. When the professor learned of the group, he quickly gave Avenir a failing grade and recommended his expulsion to the University.

On March 18, 2008, a Ryerson disciplinary panel ruled that Avenir should not be expelled and reinstated his passing grade for the first year chemistry course, although he was given a zero on the 10 per cent portion of the mark for homework and he must also attend a workshop on academic integrity. This case marks an important development for educational institutions and their students for what could be considered cheating in the context of online collaboration between students. Critics of the University claim that the University is not properly adapting to the new realities of the technological cyber world which allow students to access and engage in social studying without being physically present or in any physical space. The University contends that this matter has nothing to do with technology but rather as James Norrie, director of Ryerson’s Information Technology Management School stated: “cheating is cheating no matter where it happens”. The group has been shut down. However, the debate of whether the on-line group facilitated cheating or studying will remain.

For additional information, visit:

http://www.canada.com/topics/technology/story.html?id=526c73cd-ab4b-4765-ac28-40f2244c71b9

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/03/06/facebook-study.html