As finals week approaches, many teachers have chosen to administer finals. However, distance learning has posed unique challenges when it comes to finals. Academic dishonesty, difficulties with distance learning and the need to assess students’ knowledge all factor into the decision teachers make on whether or not to give a final exam.
Here are Barons’ opinions regarding finals during remote learning.
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“I think that teachers shouldn’t be giving finals during distance learning. As much as we have tried to adapt, most students, including myself, have not been able to learn to the best of their abilities through a computer screen. Finals give you a score that reflects on how well you have apprehended the material covered over the semester. I think it’s unfair to judge how much someone has learned without taking into account the problems and difficulties that come with distance learning…With finals being given during distance learning, I’m sure there will be a lot of cheating. It will be unfair to the students who take their test honestly, when many other students are finding a way to cheat or use outside help. While cheating on a final will probably help a student’s score, it defeats the purpose of even taking the final,” junior Gavin Rose said.
“I don’t think teachers should be giving finals during this troubling time. Students, like myself, already have loads of stress from personal issues. Some have to take care of siblings, have to work, etc… Mental health, I know at least mine, has been going down drastically. Students should take more time for themselves and make sure they are okay rather than having to study for hours for finals. Also, because we are online, who’s to say some students won’t cheat. It’s not fair to the students who try their very best to be put against students who will cheat,” sophomore Peyton Sherwood said.“I personally believe that the purpose of finals is a bit outdated, even more while we are in distance learning. I do understand the importance of the finals from the point of a teacher. After all, [finals] show them if we [students] do understand the class and if we are ready for the next semester, or if we need to change to a class more suited for us. But at the same time, we as students don’t really see a reason for finals. We are constantly taking multiple tests and quizzes for each of our classes to see if we understand different concepts. And even with the stress of those tests and quizzes, in addition to other things such as sports or personal matters, the stress amplifies even more with finals. And with distance learning thrown into the mix, that even adds more stress. Personally, I’m always paranoid that I’m not learning enough while in distance learning or if I got distracted with something at home that I missed something important… I have a lot of [other] things to do in addition to homework and studying, which makes me have to sacrifice something…in order to finish all of my work… Most students will cheat on the finals, as there is nothing preventing them from doing so. This makes the final worthless as it’s not doing what people want it to do: to see if students know the concepts from the class for that semester,” freshman Emily Medero said.
“During distance learning, I don’t think that finals should be as necessary and pushed for as they normally are. Distance learning has been difficult for students and teachers in which there was a long adjustment period. Not to mention the multiple switches between hybrid and 100% online, which only caused more confusion. This has been a hard semester where the fail rates are at an all time low and there is so much stress in the world. Adding finals will plummet our mental health. Lastly, when taking a final online at home, there are many prohibited resources that are easily accessible to students, and so having half of a class cheat and the other half not cheating is not exactly fair. A final is supposed to test our knowledge and yet with distance learning you can not get an accurate account of this,” senior Joya Nordfelt said.“I think it is up to the teacher and the class. I am giving a final for my A.P. classes as that is the expectation for the A.P. universe and they will (most likely) have an A.P. test from the college board in May. A final is part of the preparation for that test as well. In my College Prep United States history class, there will be no final this semester,” history teacher Dave Uribe said.“I don’t believe teachers should be giving finals during distance learning. Understandably, teachers assign finals to gauge the students’ understanding of the material covered in class. However, I don’t believe test results best reflect what a student has learned. Many students fail to perform during tests because of the stress-inducing environment they are placed in. Sitting for long hours taking tests in class causes students to come home mentally battered. The switch to distance learning has made this even more difficult. At home, they now experience the same stress-inducing environment as they did in class. Doing assignments [and] projects online is already stressful for students. I think it’s important to remember that students have lives outside of school and are easily overwhelmed,” junior Tyler Vuong said.
