As students adapt to online learning, professors should be working to help them be successful by allowing open note exams.
Students have been deterred from taking classes this semester because they fear not performing well in an online setting, which has been a factor in the decline of enrollment at community colleges.
When the term open note or book test is used, a common misconception is that a professor allows students to cheat, which is not the case.
Most answers require critical thinking and analysis that cannot be found in the text or online.
For those kinds of questions, they can exercise their knowledge of the subject by reading and finding answers to the ones they would have most likely guessed incorrectly on.
There is another belief that students will rely too much on having the notes rather than taking the time to study before the test.
But, they are doing the studying when they’re spending time looking over their notes to ensure they have the correct resources to assist them.
Some students do not have the time to take several hours out of their week to master and memorize material because of the challenges this pandemic has caused.
Although they may complete almost every assignment and understand the subject completely, it’s possible they could score poorly on an exam and fail the course.
They should not be penalized on a test for not remembering every detail of a subject. It is important that students, who are still trying to better their education during this time, be given support rather than harsher conditions.
During these unprecedented times, professors should be administering open note exams because of the benefits that they bring.
