With finals coming up soon, college students are busier than ever. It’s that time of year again, but this time around things are different. The University has moved the majority of its classes to remote learning, and this is affecting the way students and teachers are preparing for finals.
When it comes to how finals are administered, there are professors that worry about the cheating aspect of remote learning. Since classes are online, it is easier to cheat because nobody is monitoring or watching over the students. According to The Verge, a University of Arizona student named Jackson Hayes experienced finals online, and was forced to use Zoom with an online proctor while he took it. He said that even though he was uncomfortable with the lack of security Zoom provides, he had to show his license and all of his personal information through the video camera to the proctor.
Eleanor M. Novek, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Communication, is not a believer of the proctor system. “Most of the work I have students do is writing- based, so it is harder to cheat that way,” Novek said. “I’ve heard of people using certain proctoring programs, but it’s not really my thing. I feel if students are going to cheat they’re just hurting themselves and their learning. My job as an educator is to teach and it’s up to students what they want to do with their education.”
Aside from the different online formatting that comes with remote learning, students are being forced to adopt new study habits and manage their work without having an in-person schedule to guide them. Leah Fonseca, a senior secondary education student who aims to be a teacher, said, “studying for finals is really hard for me right now because I feel a disconnect from my teachers and classmates. Classes are literally through a video camera and I haven’t even met most of the people. I feel uncomfortable reaching out to people I don’t know.”
Logan Lazarus, her roommate, has had a similar experience studying for finals. She said, “I went home for Thanksgiving and decided not to come back after. I’m out of my normal studying routine and it’s hard to get on the ball. I’ve been FaceTiming some of my professors to help me, but it still doesn’t feel the same. What has really helped me to get back on track is reaching out to friends in my major and doing homework together.”
Even if remote learning is not the style you prefer to learn, there are ways to study for finals and be successful. Reach out to your professors and friends in your major to help you get in the rhythm of things, and make sure not to fall behind on your work. It can especially help to set reminders for yourself on a calendar, since there isn’t that in-person reminder of going to class. Most importantly, stay safe, stay healthy, and grind through the fourteenth week.
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