Trivial one... AIBU not to share my notes/flashcards?

[Pineappleundersea]

I’ve gone back to university in my late 20’s. As part of my studying/revision process, I make flashcards on a website, but I make them private.

One of the students on my course has asked me multiple times to make them publically available. I don’t want to. He’s said I can look at his (but I don’t want to). I feel like I’m being a bit of an arsehole.

I suppose my reasoning is: I put all the work in, why should someone access it for free?

My friend said that it’s irrational not to share them, as I’ve already made them so I don’t really lose out by sharing. But I feel like someone’s benefitting from my effort and I get nothing in return.

@Pineappleundersea Yep he is a CF all right. I am all for helping and sharing, and all that jazz, but not if someone else continually takes the piss and expects you to do everything, and they do sod-all in return. This fella at uni sounds like that type of person.

The OP is within her rights to not share. And no-one has any right to tell her any different. Just ignore anyone who says or implies you are mean, or angsty, or 'not a nice person,' for not sharing your flashcards.

My daughter spent a fuckload of time doing hers when she was doing her A levels, and she worked very hard on them, and several of her classmates wanted to share them. I told her to tell them to bog off and make their own.

She didn't, but she did say she was using them right now, or she had forgotten them. After 5 or 6 times of asking her, they gave up. There was no WAY they were going to benefit from my daughter's 20 to 22 hours (over 2 weeks,) that she had spent doing all the flashcards!

Too many people take the piss like this; expecting others to do the work, while they reap the rewards. And a few people have already shared their stories of freeloaders and pisstakers.

Do not share your flashcards OP.

I agree with @blanklook and @IvorHughJars too, (great username by the way!) that it would benefit the CF anyway, to do his own. You do learn and absorb much more when you do them yourself.

@sherbertpips
Dont share. I hate hate hate hated 'group' work. I did all the work, I did all the presenting and the two numpties who neither inputted or spoke got the same shared grade.

This ^ in spades.

And it happens too often.

@leghoul
I met a lot of students who wouldn't share things at medical school. I thought they were largely nasty, competitive people who would like to ensure the pass mark was as low as possible by making it harder for others to learn than necessary, even when others were in difficult situations. Things like not sharing notes, like refusing to give someone the lecture slides when their child was ill so she couldn't be there and so on. It depends on your course but I came away thinking what a bunch of arseholes and vowing to treat it as a process not a mad competition every day. Of course they got all the prizes but actually if you're not threatened by someone else and if you realise that the main part of the learning is THE MAKING of the flashcards or whatever (after all, there are plenty of ready made resources out there that don't just leap into your head) then it doesn't make a huge deal of sense to keep them to yourself.

Nasty and competitive because they worked hard and didn't want people to benefit from their hard work? Give over!

Sounds like you were a piss taker, who couldn't be arsed to put the work in yourself, and these people didn't want to share their hard work with you. Why the hell SHOULD they?

There is a difference between sharing a full set of flashcards and the notes from one session - I have copied my notes to people who have missed a session in the hope that if I missed one then they would return the favour. I might show someone how I put the flashcards together but would also say its pointless looking at mine as they are my shorthand and aide memoires and they need to make their own as the learning is often in the process rather than the reading of the flashcards. Process for free - content nah

Mrs I genuinely picked copywriter as it was one of the two examples I thought of where a self-employed person might write something for a living and be expected to share it.

Genuinely I wasn’t trying to get at you, belittle or otherwise freak you out. It’s a shame you would think that. You probably won’t believe me, and I suppose it doesn’t really matter, but as this is a community where people seek and get advice and support I feel it’s a shame you’d immediately jump to the conclusion you have. I also have far better things to with my time than trawl through your previous posts to make some obscure reference about you.

Perhaps you should take a minute to think why it is that you immediately jumped to this conclusion rather than the far more logical (and true) conclusion that the two jobs I mentioned happen to link more naturally with the OP and their example of revision cards.

Thanks to those who have already made this incredibly obvious point!

Don't share them as a matter of course. If someone is ill and misses a lecture, you might, depending upon circumstances*, agree to share your notes for that session, but it is pretty obvious that some people will just coast off the work of others, given a chance - don't let him do it. You have worked hard to condense/ extrapolate those notes, and there is no reason why anyone else should benefit.

AND, in the long run it doesn't benefit him because he will never learn how to make decent notes.

*e.g. - your friend extends the same courtesy to you if you are unwell

Ugh, men have been stealing women's intellectual work for aeons. Why on earth should you feel obliged to perpetuate this nonsense?

If he's at university, he can do his own damn work and earn his own credit and degree.

If he had missed a session or something, I'd give him the notes or handout or whatever so everyone was on a level playing field.

You do not owe him your work.

Going to uni I saw there were 2 types if people. Those who shared resources (which were often given to them by other students) and those who saw it as a competition and never shared. Those who shared did best overall, as others were most likely to share with them. Ultimately it was about team work.

This was NOT a performance in that there was an audience. It was something only the lecturer saw. We rehearsed and then performed it...and were assessed on our INDIVIDUAL performances. It wasn't "a production" in the sense that the thing had to be a team effort. The other girl and I shared a part...she did half and I did half.

It makes no difference whether you performed to one person or the Albert Hall, it's still the case that it's in your mutual interests to put on a good production to give the lecturer a good overall impression, and for the other person to do a decent job.

Dont share. I hate hate hate hated 'group' work. I did all the work, I did all the presenting and the two numpties who neither inputted or spoke got the same shared grade

Yes yes yes!

And it's total bullshit about preparing you for the world of work. I have never had to work with lazy, disorganised, disinterested, thick, uncooperative people.

@sherbertpips
Dont share. I hate hate hate hated 'group' work. I did all the work, I did all the presenting and the two numpties who neither inputted or spoke got the same shared grade.

If it's any consolation Sherbert, the likelihood is that the tutors were well aware of who was doing the work and who was coasting, and this would be reflected in their comments and the university reference the student gets.

It's a cold comfort though when you are working your backside off because others aren't prepared to do anything,

Ceto No...it does not. I performed totally SEPARATELY to the other girl.

She was on stage...acting the part...then she left and I came on and acted the part.

So it's more likely the OPPOSITE of what you say. We were in direct competition in one way...not part of an ensemble.

Read my posts properly or stop arguing. You sound silly.

Dad so you didn't mean to belittle me but then you come out with this corker

"Thanks to those who have already made this incredibly obvious point!*

So whatever. You may not MEAN to...oh how often I've heard that one! But each of your posts to me have been belittling and patronising.

I don't care anymore anyway.

People are determined to think that a society in which people don't share is better than one with people who are willing to help one another.

So whatever.

Mrs you've certainly put on a performance on this thread.
I think it was overly dramatic to accuse AtHomeDad of being "one of those men on here hell bent on belittling women and trawling through your posting history to find out you're a copywriter..? He can't be that bored surely!

I agree, it was kind of you to share your hat and drama notes. I agree with your underlying sentiment; it's nice to share on the whole.

Hi op, try sharing a few of yr cards. Make no mention that you are holding back lots more. Ive learnt over the years of being a (very) mature student that some people are very organised, others blag their way through, some are needy emotionally but are fine with assignments once they start writing. Id keep the fact that you have cards and notes quiet. All thatll happen is he will contact you asking for extra explanations

Mrs wow, you seem able to find insult at every turn.

I have, now, searched for your previous posts and only found something with ‘copywrite’ in it when I also inputted that into the search. I really think you need to get over yourself a bit on this one.

I see that your post containing the copywriting was linked to not being able to find work. If you’re as combative in interview as you are on here then I’d suggest that’s a pretty big reason as to your current predicament.

Also, I agree with other posters that sharing is, on the whole, a good idea. Just that in some instances it isn’t. Such as the one the OP posted (and for any job role where one would expect fair payment).

Then you are very fortunate Silver most of us have & the cooperation, communication & negotiation skills developed in group work are invaluable - & much prized in the graduate job market where presentation skills (acquired by practice) are much prized.

ILost I’m really not that bored, or malicious!

AtHome no need to extrapolate if you are not malicious

Mrs, I repeat, I'm aware that you performed separately. It's still in your interests for the whole production to go well, not least on the basis that good performances in both parts put the examiner in a good mood and gives him or her a favourable overall impression. None of that applies to OP.

I think it's pretty clear to all that there is only one person who is sounding silly in this discussion, and it's not me. There is also only one person who finds it necessary to be rude, and unsurprisingly it is the same person.

Just to put some more context here and reiterate my earlier point: the vast majority of plagiarism cases I deal with relate to students' sharing their notes or completed assignments with their colleagues, who then reproduce it as their own. Often, that's not even done maliciously, but because of things like poor planning, poor paraphrasing, and panic if an assignment has been left to the last minute. That's a problem for both students, certainly until originality can be proven by one, which is sometimes not as straightforward as it sounds. Collaborative research can be a wonderful resource for students and it's a good skill to learn. Simply sharing your own work with others, however, is not the same thing, and can leave you vulnerable to the difficulties described.

Exactly what I’ve been trying to say Ivor.

Nice one.

Good point about turnitin Ivor & I've been through some agonising cases (where the person trying to be helpful is horrified to be investigated) but half the time its down to not citing from published sources

Why?? Why not just help each other out?

Do some people not understand how university works? you are supposed to do your own work, not use other peoples.

Why not just share our essays and test papers as well? I mean, the worlds a better place if we all just share everything, man!

Everyone is free to share or not share.

But I am certainly grateful that lots of people share stuff on the internet for free - their thoughts, ideas, suggestions, hints and tips... all free... sometimes they even share actual stuff like word documents, photos, spreadsheets...

It’s awesome :)

Ivor I completely agree with you. I've just marked two assignments where the students have 'worked together/shared readings'. Their work has identical bits in it and has identical mistakes, as well as lots of original stuff they have done themselves. This has left them open to looking like cheats when actually they think they are being co-operative and working together.

Sharing actual end products (e.g. essays, even revision flashcards) depends on the other person being really honest, really clever (so won't copy them directly) and really reciprocal (so will help you out in return in a study circle, say). This person isn't any of those and could leave you open to accusations of plagiarism of exactly the type I've seen this week. Luckily for my students this week it is on a practice test and I have pointed out their stupidity, I hope they won't 'share' again.