Some of our young people are half way through their degrees (2019/20 intake): lockdowns on repeat, light at the end of the tunnel with vaccinations (?) and the legacy of COVID-19

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

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Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose is all I can say!

My DS has open book exams - this time it’s 2 essays to be completed in 24 hours. Obviously no cheating for essay subjects as plagiarism will be immediately identified!

No open book for mine, online proctored. And not till end of June - at least she’s getting good value from her accommodations!

I had to google online proctored exams. They sound horrific. DD would have a panic attack at the thought that a camera was watching her every move.

@RampantIvy - so would mine! It sounds rather intrusive tbh.

No, I wouldn't have known what proctored exams were either @RampantIvy so thanks for enlightening us. I can think of nothing worse but I wonder if it's really so different to doing them in exam halls? Unless it's one adjudicator per student?

First proctored exam she had to move her laptop round the room to prove that no notes were pinned to the wall out of camera view 🙄 Ensured a tidy room for a while tho.

Yes they have to show the room before they start each time - DD2 has 5 exams. The software is flakey and so I've told both of mine to video themselves on their phones just in case. They'd both much rather sit them in an exam hall.

What a palaver for them.

My DD has completed 2 maths exams this week. Timed open book but much harder than previous years. She thought the first one was really really hard but after it had finished she chatted to a friend who described it as "horrendous". They are really putting them through it. She's exhausted today and has done nothing other than watch films. 2 more next week and another 2 weeks later. I hope everyone else's DC manage their exams. I have to agree with @RampantIvy that if she had to sit an exam in a hall she would probably fail. Going for a walk in the middle of the day to buy an ice cream helped 😊

@mumsneedwine my DD couldn't cope with that sort of exam. It sounds dreadful. She'd feel like a caged animal.

Proctored exams sounds bad. What if the internet goes part way through?

DD's done 2x 24 hour exams, third starting today. This week hasn't been too bad because she's had a day between each.
Next week she has:
Tuesday exam 1: Starts at 9:30am
Wednesday exam 2: Starts at 2pm
Thursday exam 3: Starts at 9:30am.

She's worked about 20 out of 24 hours for each exam so far. Now she is a slow worker, but she's got friends who are quick (and very good at those subjects too) who have been working 18hours +. When people asked about the clashed exams they were told that the exams were designed so you could do them in 3 hours so it didn't matter. On the basis that none of the people she knows are doing them in less than 12, this seems unrealistic.
Next week is not going to be fun.

I'd have thought the showing the room was a little bit of a waste of time. If they're going to cheat like that, then there's ways round it-leave the door open and bribe a younger sibling to come and stick it up afterwards, have a laptop outside the room connected to a tv screen with a powerpoint on it (which is conveniently off when you show the room) etc.

By having open book it does mean that ways of cheating are reduced. I suspect there will still be ways eg houses where they discuss it. Dd's house they're all doing the same subject. They haven't gone back so it's not an issue, and they'd discussed how they'd work in different rooms etc. and I know they would intend not to cheat at all, but I can still imagine little comments coming out without thinking. "Question 2's hard." "Yes, I never liked " (first person thinks -ah I hadn't thought of using that)

If the exams are taking so long, the young people aren't getting enough sleep/rest in between surely? It sounds a hard gig to me. And the proctored exams sound beyond hideous.

However, I reckon there will still be people out there finding ways to cheat however the exams are organised. Call me cynical but there so seems to be a small number of people (I don't just mean students) whose purpose in life seems to be to 'mug the system'.

Proctored exams sound awful - would push my two over the edge too. I wonder which unis are doing them as it surely requires a high level of invigilation.

@MargaretThursday, my DS is working 12-15hours or so on his 24hour exams, 20hours sounds gruelling for her

What happens if you need to go to the loo in the middle of a proctored exam? How does that work?

Is it university-specific or subject-specific do you think? I would imagine that for subjects where you're ultimately aiming for a professional qualification to practise it's probably more necessary than for other subjects?

@MargaretThursday yes my DD spent a long time on her first exam. Finally submitted at 2am having started at 9.30am. The second exam submitted before midnight. The clash of exams is awful. There's no time to get into the mindset of a different topic or even recover from the one before! Sending good luck to your DD.
@bigTillyMint 12 hours of essay writing sounds hard. Good luck to your DS.

@MargaretThursday they are videod while sitting exams and their eye movements monitored. If they are looking around they will be deemed to be cheating. It's horrible and unfair but my DDs are just getting on with it. Eldest has already had some like this and to be fair Uni are now laying on lots of practice ones which they didn't do last year.

@MargaretThursday they are videod while sitting exams and their eye movements monitored. If they are looking around they will be deemed to be cheating. It's horrible and unfair but my DDs are just getting on with it. Eldest has already had some like this and to be fair Uni are now laying on lots of practice ones which they didn't do last year.

But you could just be refocusing and thinking? I work at my desk but often stare up at the books on the shelves above when I'm thinking something through or just need a break from the screen.

I agree with you @NewModelArmyMayhem18. Proctored exams sound really draconian. I look up from my desk to rest my eyes. It is advice from optometrists if you are working on screens to look away from the screen from time to time.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 yup, it's ridiculous. And DD2s optician told her yesterday she is damaging her eyes and needs to be on screen less. DD laughed and pointed out Uni is intending to carry on with lectures on line next year, so no chance of much less. It's stupid.

Do you think anyone has tried cycling a loop of film like Sandra Bullock in the Speed film?
It all sounds very easy to manipulate. Can’t you just put post it notes on your computer screen or lid?
And is anyone going to sit there looking at eye movements of hundreds of students from a laptop camera that may be of dubious quality? Bit of vaseline for those who want soft focus!?
Our WiFi keeps dropping out so it would be a real problem.

@Zandathepanda, great tips - you sound like an expert

Some barrister exams last year required one chap to urinate into his bottle or glass in front of the screen. he took a photo I think and put the results on twitter minus his p enis. Hopefully we can soon move back into requiring everyone to attend an exam hall.

Some barristers had tech problems or had to wait for a late start of an hour so 3 hours which may be long enough not to need the loos became 4 or 4.5 hours... I would suggest people don't drink before hand and if you think you may be desperate buy an adult nappy and put it on before you start ( better than failing or wetting your knickers).

Some Microsoft qualifications have been done as proctored exams even pre-pandemic so I’m guessing that there’s plenty of software out there to check for cheating etc with regard to eye movements etc.