With great power, comes great responsibility; the almost impossible
responsibility of reining in that temptation that tugs at you to ask
Google for help. Because you can. Forgetting an important date or a
formula is not going to present teachers with glorious opportunities
anymore to snatch precious marks away with a pen, glowing with red ink,
like swords cutting through air. That sound oozes cruelty. And so, in
cooperation with the Internet, the twenty first century brings you
Electronic Cheating. (A round of applause for high definition cameras as
well.)
The ever-growing popularity of cell phones has come to a point where
fun and play precede necessity. In addition to fanning our narcissism,
cell phone cameras take notes for us while internet or Bluetooth allow
us to pass those notes from corner to corner without having to make any
suspicious movements in the classroom during exams. Whispering, poking
your friend in front, positioning your neck in the most unsuspicious way
possible, furtive glances at the teacher, exchanging pieces of paper
are quaint actions found only in novels now. What further proves our
deceptive innocence is how, thanks to technology, we manage to sit miles
away from each other, throwing the most unthreatening smiles at the
invigilator, while sharing ten answers in less than a minute.
Ever noticed how the desks are almost spotless these days,
unsoiled by educational scribbles, standing the test of time, patiently
waiting for the arrival of the next student in need? Cell phones are
alarmingly crawling their ways into classrooms and while this may prove
to be an immediate access to knowledge during class hours, they are
eating away the learners' exam performance skills. They are boosting
their confidence in a wrong and rather harmful way. Electronic cheating
is not restricted to classrooms anymore; plagiarism is on the rise too.
While plagiarism machines are used to contain the situation these
days, students also need to understand that 'Googled up' answers are not
difficult to catch; you are only embarrassing yourself. Public
examinations are banning all sorts of electronic devices inside the exam
hall but many students are earning degrees based on the instant
knowledge the Internet has provided them with. Ever seen that viral meme
where a valedictorian asks you to respect your elders because they have
survived school without Wikipedia, copy-paste, or Google? In our
generation's defence, our predecessors were not exactly saints. People
of all ages have found sneaky ways to obtain answers to all sorts of
questions the teachers threw at them. What is a matter of concern is
that the easier it becomes, the more we come to rely on them. It becomes
difficult to resist; in fact, there are students who resort to these
magic devices for help because some other course took up all their study
hours.
Restricting cell phones is not the answer, however. Currently the
most plausible solution is strict exam room policies a la public
examinations, and teachers creating the awareness in classrooms and
encouraging creativity. The Internet is only a source of knowledge;
originality is in our hands.
Imani Khaled is an animal lover, forerunner of her
imaginary anti-frizz campaign, and sketches exotic travel plans all day,
everyday. Reach her at imanikhaled@gmail.com
