With the shift to remote learning after Thanksgiving, students will be forced to take their final exams from home this semester.
Many professors have decided to turn towards an online exam, while others have opted out of giving an exam entirely.
Full Teaching Professor of Psychology Kevin Bennett says that he will be delivering his final exam through Canvas and feels equipped to administer an online exam because of his use of online web courses before the pandemic hit.
Bennett said he plans to put a time limit on the test and not allow students to see more than one question at a time.
Bennett said finals is a stressful time for students, especially during this year’s pandemic. “Although we have all done our best to acclimate to COVID precautions, going through finals is going to be especially tough this year. But if anyone is up to the challenge, it is Penn State Beaver students.”
Kristen Olson, associate professor of English, said that all professors are having to re-think how best to do everything this year.
“The challenge with exams is to keep the intellectual pieces there, but design something that supports students working on their own,” says Olson.
One of Olson’s biggest concerns is keeping academic integrity. Olson said the best way to help students maintain honesty is through essays with challenging prompts and narrow tasks.
Time-management seems to another concern among professors and Olson said that the best course of action, like with any assignment, is to have a deadline, but to also remember to remain flexible for students.
Sophomore Kaitlin Gabbidon said this semester’s finals are very similar to the finals Penn State Beaver students took in the spring semester.
Gabbidon said she prefers finals being remote, as it reduces the risk of exposure.
“I think academics during a time like this should be under great scrutiny. Each and every day students are under great stress to perform well while also keeping up with financial responsibilities, their families and their health,” she said. “Educators and leaders need to access all these factor and reform the system while we are going through these times.”
Junior Michael Smith says that he would rather take finals in person because he feels that it is easier for him to feel more engaged in his schoolwork.
Smith described how some engineering classes have in-class projects for their finals, but because of COVID this year they are more of an optional or extra-credit assignment to help students who are struggling due to the coronavirus.
“I just think teachers should really understand how frustrating doing online classes are and try to accommodate for it,” says Smith.
Sophomore Amaya Wright said she does not mind the shift to remote learning and remote finals because it saves travel money and she can spend more time at home with her family and have a good home-cooked meal.
Wright said she does not have any professors canceling finals due to COVID-19 and hopes that having finals online will give her more time to study and prepare, since she won’t have the normal distractions students have while living on campus.
“2020 has been a very vicious year for many individuals,” Wright said. “We must respect each other’s differences, acknowledge each other’s struggles and give back and help where it’s needed.”