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9.25.2003

All Exam Software. All the Time.

Apparently I missed another large discussion about Exam Software in Wednesday's SBA meeting. I've gotten the reputation, mostly from our new SBA president, as being the "most vocal in opposition." Maybe. I think a lot of people disagree with the idea. In fact we defeated the idea last year both in the SBA Senate and in the Faculty, although in the latter it was only by one vote.

Now that six new faculty members have been added it appears as though the votes exist on the faculty to mandate Exam Software for the masses. This strikes me as a little unfair, I don't feel as if the student population at Ohio State has changed, nor do I feel as if the student culture has changed that radically in one year. What has changed, apparently, is that one new faculty member has frenzied up the First-Years, by mandating that they all handwrite their exams unless there is exam software at the time. This is, of course, his right because here at Moritz, all professors can set up their own conditions for their exams regardless of the faculty rules. But the First-Years have yet to take a single exam, and they're so flustered about it in general that they can't think straight and are reacting against handwriting, and the 6 new members were (I;m told) unhappy in last nights meeting.

Our entire Property exam was closed-everything handwritten. We all got through it. Just because you have to handwrite an exam to overcome a threat doesn't mean that you shouldn't be faithful to the idea that at this school we have an Honor Code, and that we should honor it.

But, in the last three years there's been some sort of misunderstanding and mistrust. People seem to think that cheating is absolutely rampant. I couldn't disagree more. That view, I feel, is a product of paranoia and disappointment about one's grades. More later... 
.. | @ 9/25/2003 09:14:57 AM » » (talkback)