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Course with employment: "The profession of a Methodologist from scratch to PRO"
Find out moreExams and tests often resemble a game of police. The main goal is to test knowledge, but in practice the situation is different. Students who haven't prepared for an exam are focused on finding ways to get hints, while professors try to prevent cheating and identify offenders. Each professor uses their own unique methods, and sometimes these approaches are quite unusual. Proper preparation will help avoid such situations and focus on truly assessing knowledge.
How One Professor Became an All-Seeing Eye
In 2018, a Reddit user posted a unique image taken during an exam. The professor's stern face was displayed on a large screen in the classroom, attracting the attention of users and sparking a heated discussion. This photo has become a symbol of the tense atmosphere of exam days and has sparked interest in the interactions between students and teachers in the learning process.
At first glance, this is just a joke and can hardly be considered a serious strategy against cheating. However, someone in the audience managed to capture the situation on a photo. However, such a measure may indeed be effective against peeking at cheat sheets or searching for answers on a smartphone under a desk. Using unconventional approaches to exam monitoring can significantly reduce cheating and increase the fairness of knowledge assessment.
Scientists around the world have been conducting research on the gaze effect for many years. It is believed that images of eyes promote compliance with established norms and rules of behavior. Therefore, such visual elements are often used in various countries to prevent antisocial behavior. Although the practical results of this effect remain controversial, a meta-analysis published in 2019 by researchers from Oxford University confirmed its effectiveness. According to the study, images of eyes or similar symbols can reduce antisocial behavior by up to 35%. This finding underscores the importance of visual cues in shaping social behavior and may be useful for developing social campaigns and crime prevention programs.
Reputation and the perception of our personality in the eyes of others are of great importance. This is more important than many are willing to admit. A single image can serve as a reminder that our actions will always be noticed. Given this, it's essential to be aware of how our actions influence public opinion. In today's world, where information spreads instantly, reputation is becoming a key aspect of personal and professional success.
An interesting experiment conducted in Sweden in the field of education demonstrated the impact of direct gaze on learners. Participants included both native Swedish speakers and learners of the language. During the study, the participants played a game similar to Alias, where they explained words in Swedish and a robot attempted to guess them. The robot used an animated projection on a special plastic mask, giving it a "face" effect and allowing it to move its eyes. The results of the experiment highlight the importance of visual interaction in learning and the potential of using technology to enhance the educational process.
Research showed that native speakers were expected to be more active in class than beginners. However, the results of experiments using a robot revealed an unexpected effect: when the robot observed a non-native speaker, its silent anticipation encouraged the learner to speak. As a result, language learners were more active than native speakers. This suggests that even the imitation of a robot's gaze can have a significant psychological impact on people, encouraging them to communicate. This effect emphasizes the importance of interaction and participation in the language learning process.
Perhaps the teacher's gaze projection in the example above has a similar effect—even though it is just an image, students in the classroom may feel like they are under real control. In such a situation, cheating becomes uncomfortable. Interestingly, if the teacher were observing the students from their seat, those sitting in the back rows would not be significantly affected. However, a large gaze projection maintains attention and discipline in each student.
How a professor set a trap to find those who cheat
Despite the existence of all-seeing proctoring systems, it is impossible to completely eliminate the possibility of cheating on exams or tests. In response, some teachers are taking action by introducing special traps for students. These approaches help create a more fair and competitive educational environment, where knowledge and skills become the primary criteria for success. The use of such methods not only helps to identify the real level of preparation of students, but also forms in them responsibility for their own learning.
Another Reddit user shared a story about A professor at an American university used a clever trick.
The professor decided to include a difficult, unsolvable question in an exam. To test his students, he registered on a popular cheating website where students often seek help. He posed the question on behalf of a student, then re-registered and, under a new login, provided the answer. At first glance, it appeared correct, but it contained serious errors that the students were unlikely to have made on their own. This experiment highlights the importance of critical thinking and independent student work, and also demonstrates how easily information can be manipulated online.
During an exam, many students went to the restroom to look for clues. As a result, the professor discovered that some of the papers contained incorrect solutions from a website. Students received zero points for these papers, and the professor also reported the cheating to the administration. He notified the students of his discovery via email.
Why Allow Students to Cheat
What would happen if students were given the opportunity to cheat on exams? This question interested Wes Maciejowski, an associate professor at San Jose State University (USA). During a seminar for aspiring teachers, he overheard a discussion about methods for monitoring students and ways to prevent cheating. Participants shared experiences on how to identify dishonest students and who should report such cases. After listening to these discussions, Masiewski began to question the wisdom of such a significant effort to combat academic integrity violations.
At the time, he was teaching a course on differential equations. Students underperformed on the first exam because they frequently made technical errors in their calculations. Therefore, Masiewski decided to allow cheating, but with certain conditions: students could use any devices, such as calculators, laptops, and phones, as well as books. However, communicating with each other and asking neighbors for help were strictly prohibited.
The professor presented several arguments justifying his decision. These arguments relate to both the educational process and the needs of students. The first argument is the need to improve the quality of instruction, which requires changes to teaching methods. The second argument concerns updating the curriculum to meet modern requirements and student interests. The professor also noted the importance of an individual approach to each student, which facilitates more effective knowledge acquisition. These arguments underscore the importance of a thoughtful approach to the educational process and its continuous development.
- Gadgets will help students not so much complete their work as check the accuracy of their calculations—there's nothing wrong with that, since teachers themselves use technology for this purpose.
- This can reduce stress, which in turn leads to forgetfulness (sometimes even well-prepared students, due to anxiety, are unable to recall what they know well).
- The exam itself turns from a test of students' ability to accurately calculate in their heads, but a search for solutions—the teacher can now give more complex, non-standard tasks. And if you don't know something, all avenues are open for studying the issue right now.
Masiewski's changes to the exam procedure were not introduced immediately. His students took two tests, five weeks apart. For the first exam, students had the opportunity to use a cheat sheet—one page with any information from the course that they thought might be useful. For the second test, students were allowed to bring any gadgets and books, which significantly expanded their opportunities for preparing and using the materials.
The results of the experiment revealed interesting findings. The percentage of students who passed the test did not differ significantly in both cases. This suggests that the presence of cheat sheets or access to resources such as Google did not significantly impact the final result. Thus, it can be concluded that the level of preparation and assimilation of the material is more important than the ability to use aids during testing.
The study revealed interesting results: students who successfully passed the first test performed poorly on the second, barely achieving a passing score. At the same time, those who initially showed weak results became some of the best on the second test. These results highlight the importance of the skills to quickly and effectively use open resources in the learning process.
After the Masievsky test, the students shared their impressions. The survey showed that approximately 30% of the group participants responded to the questionnaires. Of the 30 respondents, 27 admitted to using books or the internet, and also used a calculator to solve some problems. Students noted positive aspects: the opportunity to self-check and focus on problem-solving rather than calculations. However, there was also an obvious drawback: many experienced difficulty managing the time to find the necessary information. Stress levels appeared to have decreased, although some participants expressed concerns that this freedom in work would be paid for by more difficult assignments. When asked about the advisability of continuing this practice, 10 students responded negatively, while 20 supported it. Maciejowski emphasized that the exam in the new format not only prepares students for standard calculations but also gives them the opportunity to more deeply understand the principles of solving various problems. In the future, in the workplace, they will be required to perform precisely this critical thinking. This undoubtedly complicates the task of instructors, as they will have to devote more attention to the development of tests and assessments. However, Masievsky has a solution: "Allowing students to use any resources allows math teachers to implement a new metric when creating problems: if the solution can be quickly found on Google, then there's no point in asking it." This places emphasis on developing students' analytical skills, an important aspect of their professional development.
The example from mathematics illustrates that similar approaches can be applied in the humanities. Assignments can be designed to not only test knowledge of facts and theories but also develop skills in analyzing and applying acquired knowledge to specific situations. This fosters a deeper understanding of the subject and develops critical thinking in students. Thus, the humanities can become a platform for the practical application of theoretical knowledge, significantly improving the quality of education.
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