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'Ban All Watches From Exams To Stop Cheating' (bbc.com) 136

Posted by BeauHD from the cease-and-desist dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the BBC: All watches should be banned from exam halls to discourage cheating, says an inquiry into the extent of malpractice in exams taken by pupils across the UK. Smart watches, connected to the internet, are already banned from use by students taking public exams. But the review, commissioned by exam boards, says it is becoming difficult to distinguish between hi-tech and traditional watches. Review chairman Sir John Dunford called for a "blanket ban" on watches. The Independent Commission on Examination Malpractice, set up by exam boards to investigate the prevalence of cheating in public exams in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, says that overall there is a "very low level of malpractice." "It can look as if it's a time-telling watch and actually, you press a button and it becomes an email-type watch," said Sir John, a former head teachers' union leader. "If you don't ban them all I think you're giving a very difficult job to invigilators who are looking round an exam room. So I think the obvious thing to do here is to ban watches."
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'Ban All Watches From Exams To Stop Cheating' More

'Ban All Watches From Exams To Stop Cheating'

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  • The final solution. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Major_Disorder ( 5019363 ) on Tuesday September 10, 2019 @08:36PM (#59179250)
    Strip them all naked, check all orifices, before and after the test... Its the only way to be sure.

  • Let's ban exams from education.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by guruevi ( 827432 )

      That's true, testing your capacity to cram knowledge for a 24h period of time is a very poor indicator of capacity to succeed in real life jobs. Most knowledge you'll learn on the job in the first 3 months, the rest is your capacity to reference or problem solve.

      If they made exams about your ability to Google, problem solve and reference properly, a lot fewer people would graduate and we'd have much higher skill levels for recently graduated employees.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by lgw ( 121541 )

        If they made exams about your ability to Google, problem solve and reference properly, a lot fewer people would graduate and we'd have much higher skill levels for recently graduated employees.

        Good universities have a lot of open book, take-home exams, for just this reason.

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by PPH ( 736903 )

          take-home exams

          Who actually did the work?

          Good universities

          The sort where there is a lot of competition for entrance. And the wealthy people that can make big donations to slip their kids in can also afford 'tutors' to make sure they pass those exams.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by lgw ( 121541 )

            And yet, these are the universities with the best reputations for engineering programs, because their students are reliably good.

            Turns out most people who want to succeed in life want to actually learn in school, and very smart people can cheat no matter what you do, so no point in optimizing around them.

        • I was a returned adult student, physics undergrad. Our optics midterm was take-home open book, open everything, but no collaboration with other students in working the problems. I began working the exam promptly, and quickly discovered the amount of work required, warning the other traditional aged students not to delay starting.

          It took me 44 hours, 78 pages including Matlab and Mathematica code and printed results, and various writings and drawings. Small class, excellent professor who had made good m

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by lgw ( 121541 )

            My university back in the day banned unlimited-time exams precisely because of the "44 hours" phenomenon. Getting 3 of those during finals week was a bit much.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AHuxley ( 892839 )
        Re 'very poor indicator of capacity to succeed in real life jobs"
        What is?
        A person who was told to learn something for a year?
        Did not.
        Cannot recall much.
        Did not remember to get to the exam in time?
        vs the person who took the time to learn and can show their ability to learn and recall?
        Real life jobs will require learning too.
        Want to pay a full wage to a person for a few years and see if they can learn?
        They might have some skills. They might show up to work some days?

  • It's dumb (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Ryzilynt ( 3492885 ) on Tuesday September 10, 2019 @08:46PM (#59179278)

    A smart watch isn't going to help you pass any kind of legitimate timed test that would require proctoring.

    Now hear me out.

    If you can replace the guts of your Ti-84 with a smartphone connected to a concealed camera in a pair of eyeglasses and an earpiece.

    AND you have a very knowledgeable friend willing to be an accomplice you MIGHT be able to get a better score.

    I'm taking orders for the kits. $1000

    * smartphone not included.

    • A smart watch isn't going to help you pass any kind of legitimate timed test that would require proctoring.

      Smart watches have cameras, and can receive messages.

      That is enough to pass most tests.

  • ... how tests are made, so that having access to such resources isn't going to be particularly helpful.

    The concept of a take-home exam comes to mind as just one way to solve the problem.

    • There are a good number of exams that test whether you have memorized specific facts that you're just expected to have a working knowledge of. The fact that someone can always reach for a calculator doesn't negate the value of having memorized basic multiplication tables. There are plenty of exams where the test is, explicitly, "Do you remember this off the top of your head?" and many of those exams have long-term value.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by lgw ( 121541 )

        The fact that someone can always reach for a calculator doesn't negate the value of having memorized basic multiplication tables.

        And phones and smart watches should definitely be banned from elementary school classrooms.

        There are plenty of exams where the test is, explicitly, "Do you remember this off the top of your head?" and many of those exams have long-term value.

        Only if you're talking about early schooling, not university. The junior engineer thinks he knows everything. The mid-career engineer realizes he knows nothing. The senior engineer remembers nothing, but knows where the answers are written down. Heck, I'm at the point where I just remember the fact that certain problems have been solved, because that's all that's important to keep in my head, the rest is trivia.

        • Yeah, but the senior engineer knew it once, and that means the senior engineer can recognize when an answer is complete junk when the junior engineer doesn't look it up and completely botches the answer. There is still a great deal of value in those early memorizations. If for no other reason than it trains the mind to be able to remember lookup tables, needed in order to recall where the answers are written down later. ;-)

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by lgw ( 121541 )

            You don't learn what works by memorizing, is the point. You learn what works by actually using it to solve real problems for many years. Remembering what the solution actually was isn't important, just remembering that there was a good solution is enough, because that's enough to remember what to google for later. And once you're very experienced, knowing that anyone has solved a problem thoroughly is enough, because you can recognize what good solutions to any problem in your discipline look like.

            Heck,

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mark-t ( 151149 )
        I think you missed my point, which is that they need to RETHINK how they make exams, such that simply having access to raw data they can look up anytime isn't going to be statistically helpful, and if designed right, the extra time that is taken accessing the information will make the difference between completing the exam and not.
        • If the exam's intent is to tests "do you remember this fact?" then no amount of redesign is going to eliminate the advantage of looking up the fact. Sure, there are exams that are meant to test analysis and synthesis, and those you can't just look up, but that doesn't take the place of just having the data. What is the difference between precision and accuracy? Can you specify on a map where Russia is relative to the USA? Do you know the text of the First and Second Amendments of the US Constitution? These

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by mark-t ( 151149 )

            I'm suggesting that you design your tests right, if they don't remember the facts, then they won't be able to do well on the test because the time spent looking the facts up will take away from time they could be spent answering.

            I'm suggesting that an exam should *NOT* be simple fact regurgitation, but should instead be testing a student's ability to *use* those facts in some productive way.

            And if there is no real use to for a fact, then it probably isn't worth teaching.

            For the remainder of the cases

            • There are plenty of things where teachers legitimately want to test simple regurgitation. Example: The exact text of various Amendments is critical knowledge for any lawyer but strongly recommended for citizens. Sure, you can have an applied exam question that asks (How does the militia clause affect your 2nd Amendment right to carry arms?) But that does not negate the value of confirming the student has the exact text learned.

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by mark-t ( 151149 )

                I am suggesting that if they can't *use* the knowledge, then happening to be able to remember it at the time the exam is being written doesn't test anything useful. Maybe students crammed the night before or in the hours leading up to the exam, and are simply prepared to regurgitate the expected facts that they will quickly forget, because they are not applying those facts in any productive way.

                Tests, therefore, should be designed to reflect this.

                Writing tests where the students must simply regurgita

  • Ban multiple choice (Score:4, Insightful)

    by slazzy ( 864185 ) on Tuesday September 10, 2019 @09:01PM (#59179332) Homepage Journal
    Better solution is to ban multiple choice exams, make all exams open book. Questions should be designed to test knowledge not mental regurgitation.

    • I guess it depends on the task.

      Some situations require critical thinking and problem solving, others require instant recall.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by uncqual ( 836337 )

      However, even that would not solve the "problem" described in this article. If one is using their watch to communicate with an accomplice outside, it's not the test taker that knows how to do the research, it's the accomplice.

      As well, being able to find an answer online is not the same as being able to derive it. For example, it's reasonable to ask something like "What is 1001 base -3 in decimal (base 10)?" in an introductory course where number bases are covered even though the odd case of a negative base

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by pz ( 113803 )

      Some of the hardest tests I've taken have been T/F.

      A multiple-choice test can be made arbitrarily difficult. Here's an off-the-cuff (reductio ad absurdum) example that would be valid prior to Wile's work:

      Q. No three positive integers a, b, and c satisfy the equation an + bn = cn for any integer value of n greater than 2.

      A. Circle one: T or F?

      Should take you about 20 years to get an answer if you're a superstar mathematician.

      In other words, the format of the test is not necessarily an indicator of its diffi

      • 1*3 + 2*3 = 3*3

        So, why is this hard? Let's see: n > 2. Check, since n = 3.

        And three positive integers, a = 1, b = 2, c = 3.

        1 * 3 is 3.
        2 * 6 is 6.
        3 * 3 is 9.
        3 + 6 = 9.
        9 = 9.

        So, false. The first example past your condition and the problem is solved. I don't think that's gonna take 20 years.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jeremyp ( 130771 )

        That's easy. The answer is true [wikipedia.org]. Prior to the Wiles proof, you couldn't fairly ask the question because the examiner wouldn't have known the answer either.

        Here's another one:

        Every even number greater than 2 is the sum of two prime numbers: true or false? (time limit: 277 years)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jabuzz ( 182671 )

      Some of the hardest questions I ever did where multiple choice. There used to be (at least for my exam boards back in the 1980's in the UK) the last ten questions in the paper (50 questions was the standard number in the multiple choice papers at both O and A level).

      The questions where of the form of two statements 1, and 2, with answers A to E. using this format. A statements 1 and 2 are both true and 2 explains 1. B statements 1 and 2 are both true but 2 does not explain 1. C statement 1 is true but 2 is

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        The hardest multiple choice paper I ever did had the first 9 correct answers as A. That required nerves of steel because you start doubting yourself. Fortunately it was a mock and while I did succumb I only changed one of my answers so I go 8/9 for that bit. A lot of the class changed quite a few and it generally held to be a rather nasty thing to do.

        Our teacher did that once. He simply said he cut and pasted questions from previous exams without checking what the answers were. It's entirely likely and poss

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Xenious ( 24845 )

      many thumbs up! I don't know if there is a middle ground with some multiple choice but the test shouldn't be about spouting facts. Many of my exams allowed books or sheets of formulas. Alas in these situations the easier path is "we're not the problem" "ban Ban BAN!"

  • This goes back a ways (Score:3)

    by p51d007 ( 656414 ) on Tuesday September 10, 2019 @09:30PM (#59179422)
    I remember when I took an FCC license test in 1980, had my trusty TI-55 calculator,and you had to take the battery out, before you could use it, so they knew you didn't have a program written on it.

    • I like to joke that my TI-89 is better at calculus than me (it's not, but it's impressive for what it was). Still use it daily. Used to have games, books, a file manager, music, an IRC client--the works--on it (not all at the same time necessarily).

  • I teach comp sci courses at a small liberal arts college. I give my students 3 attempts per quiz (pulled from a randomized pool of multiple questions). The quizzes are given via the LMS. If they're cheating, they're doing a terrible job at it.

  • Already banned at my university (Score:3)

    by DogDude ( 805747 ) on Tuesday September 10, 2019 @10:41PM (#59179632)
    They're already banned at my university. It's no big deal to take a watch off, and I think it's a good idea.

  • ...glasses since they could be Google's?

    Seriously, just a thought.

  • Simple fix.. (Score:2, Interesting)

    by bjwest ( 14070 )
    All exams should be taken in a room enclosed within a faraday cage with wifi, cell and bluetooth jammers. The proctor can have a hardwired phone sitting on the desk, or one on the wall by the door for emergencies. Just like in the old days when no one ever died because they didn't have a cell phone. Actually, all schools should be outfitted like this. No one, and I mean NO ONE needs to be connected 24/7, especially during a time you're using my tax dollars to get an education.
    • My first idea was why not just ban ALL devices? Seemed a lot simpler than trying to keep up with the latest disguised "smart" device. But then, medical necessity needs an exception, so we get cheater eyeglasses. Now we've got complexity again as proctors need to judge necessity, and device. Your idea seems more effective, but perhaps quite costly. It might go aground on the reef of laws forbidding exactly what you suggest though, since now people in the room cannot call emergency response.

  • My university usually bans all "electronic devices" for exams. Of course they won't let you have your phone, tablet, etc. But watches seemed to be ignored by all teachers. Probably because most students don't wear any kind of watch.

    Until one day, a teacher wants me to surrender my watch, citing the "no electronic devices rules". I refuse, noting that my watch is not electronic, by mechanic. Even further, it's a skeletonized watch with a see-through case back, so you can literally see through the watch and a

  • Create tests that test understanding instead of rote learning and the problem will cure itself pretty quickly.

  • Invigilator? What a great word! Thanks Sir John! (Score:3)

    by sabbede ( 2678435 ) on Wednesday September 11, 2019 @08:26AM (#59180474)
    I'm probably not the only one who thought it was a funny typo, and I hope I'm not the only one who found out that it's an awesome word. Way more fun than "proctor". I wish I could turn back the clock a few decades (who wouldn't) just to re-take the SAT and overuse the hell out of the term.

    "Invigilator. InvigilAATOOOORR! My pencil has entered a state of unusability after failing to resist sheer stresses. I shall require a replacement, Invigliator, please relinquish one."

  • Toi (Score:2)

    by dohzer ( 867770 )

    Better of to ban all toilets.

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