Although we all strive to do well on our midterms this should not occur at the expense of our physical and mental well-being
With exam season fast approaching, many students are slowly starting to forget about their own well-being. All-nighters, avoiding breaks and skipping meals will be the daily norm as libraries are filled to the brim with students focused on achieving one goal - getting a good grade.
Under the pressure of succeeding in rigorous university classes, students are forced to prioritize their GPAs above everything – but at what cost?
Under no circumstances is it okay to place your academics above your mental well-being, especially during high-stress periods like exam season. In fact, during times like these, it’s important to prioritize yourself to avoid psychological distress.
Under no circumstances is it okay to place your academics above your mental well-being, especially during high-stress periods like exam season. In fact, during times like these, it’s important to prioritize yourself to avoid psychological distress.
You should not be pushing through deteriorating mental health for the sake of an exam. By doing so, students are making themselves susceptible to psychological distress, academic burnout, and isolation from the damaged relationships. Indulging in these typical exam activities infrequently may be okay for the time being. However, when consistently making these activities common practice many long-term adverse health implications accompany that.
For example, you may have skipped lunch today because you have an exam at 4 p.m. You may think that using this extra time to study might help you do better on your exam than if you were to grab lunch.
In the short term, you are now starving during your exam which may distract you and make it difficult to concentrate on the exam. However, if you continue to skip meals you are putting yourself at risk for health issues such as mood swings and brain fog. Over time, more concerning consequences can arise too, like fainting and muscle loss, contributing to more illnesses that can cause you a trip to the emergency room.
Experiencing these extreme health implications will only worsen over time if students continue to study all night and isolate themselves from friends and family.
Even though exam season is riddled with anxiety and stress, it is important to understand that the habits we develop during these academically critical periods will have long-term negative impacts on our health. When our health is impacted, our performance on exams is also negatively impacted.
So, what really are the benefits of neglecting our wellbeing?
Although skipping study breaks may help you perform well on your first exam, it’s very likely that continuing these habits will prevent you from performing well on future exams. Additionally, you may begin to experience insomnia, psychological distress, and increased stress levels. Overall, these short-term practices not only have negative health implications in the long term, but they also impact your performance on exams as December progresses.
As hard as it may be, students should not sacrifice their well-being temporarily for exams as the consequences follow us well after. We must recognize that regardless of the intentions for indulging in these practices, there are very minimal benefits to experience during exam season.
We must recognize that regardless of the intentions for indulging in these practices, there are very minimal benefits to experience during exam season.
In fact, prioritizing our well-being can demonstrate academic benefits that will allow us to excel during exams. For example, eating nourishing meals throughout this stressful period can increase mental alertness and stabilize your energy levels allowing you to perform better on exams.
With exams quickly approaching, it's important to remember that sacrificing your well-being to upkeep an ideal GPA can lead to unhealthy habits appearing in the long-term concerns. Taking care of your health, such as eating well and taking breaks.
With Proctortrack’s recent security breach, Mac should consider using alternative testing methods that don’t involve proctoring software
By: Juan Molina Calderon, Contributor
From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the proctoring industry has boomed due to the need to regulate online exams and other tests in order to prevent plagiarism. Proctorio, for example, has had an increase in business by 900 per cent. Due to the increase in usage, many people have raised questions of whether proctoring services such as Examity, Honorlock and Proctortrack should even be used in the first place.
Firstly, I believe there is a problem with trying to deliver tests and exams online. The main issue comes from trying to replicate in-person teaching and test-taking in an online format. A very captivating lecture in person might keep most of the class engaged and attentive, but when it is moved online, many students mention the trouble they have focusing, including myself.
Additionally, we study and learn in the same setting day-after-day, which creates a very monotonous routine and as a result, can make it hard to concentrate. This new COVID routine is very different from walking around campus to get to your next class or having a coffee with some of your friends.
Studies show that face-to-face social contact releases many neurotransmitters which help us regulate our response to things such as stress and anxiety. Now, these interactions are purely virtual and as a result, we miss out on all these benefits.
The environment in which students learn continues to adapt to the pandemic and so should the pedagogy and assessment methods. Instead of putting resources into creating a new form of teaching and assessing students’ knowledge, a lot of it has been put into resources such as proctoring software.
I believe that there are far more efficient ways to have students demonstrate their knowledge without the use of tests. For example, students could create online portfolios with all the work, assignments, notes and homework they have done throughout the semester which should be complemented with projects that apply the knowledge the students should grasp. As a student in the faculty of engineering, I have yet to see a real change in the way students are evaluated since the format for my classes and tests seems to look the same now as it did before the lockdown began in Ontario.
The environment in which students learn continues to adapt to the pandemic and so should the pedagogy and assessment methods. Instead of putting resources into creating a new form of teaching and assessing students’ knowledge, a lot of it has been put into resources such as proctoring software.
McMaster University, in this case, has given professors the ability to use these types of software including Examity which has what I believe to be an abusive policy. Examity, like other proctoring software, has the capacity to collect massive amounts of data since they have unrestricted access to your computer and its files.
Examity’s privacy policy states that the information they may collect the following: “[a] driver’s license number or state-issued identification card number, financial account number, credit card number or debit card number with or without any required security code, that would permit access to an individual’s financial account.”
If this is not worrying, I do not know what is. The extent of the information collected is unwarranted and poses a large security risk for students.
Additionally, they state that they cannot guarantee the security of their platform and that providing data to Examity is done at our own risk. Therefore, if there is ever a security breach, Examity is not held liable because we agreed to download this program.
Examity’s privacy policy states that the information they may collect the following: “[a] driver’s license number or state-issued identification card number, financial account number, credit card number or debit card number with or without any required security code, that would permit access to an individual’s financial account.”
Furthermore, they state that they may share your personal data with “trusted” third parties or affiliates that help Examity provide their service. Essentially, Examity is given free rein to share our data with a third party, which increases the risk for a potential data breach.
Clearly, this is not only invasive but a breach of ethics. This is because the data collected and stored by proctoring software is valued by third-parties who use this type of data to profile people online. Services such as Proctortrack can hold this data for up to 180 days which is unnecessary since the data should ideally be deleted after the student submits the test if no suspicious activity occurred.
Additionally, it raises concerns regarding inequality since universities cannot assume every student has a stable internet connection and that they are able to work on an exam at home without any disruptions. Therefore, the environment is not the same for everyone as it would be in a testing room.
This level of access shares a lot of parallels with spyware and malware. Even though these types of software are not meant for that purpose, they can definitely be exploited at the expense of our privacy.
One recent example is the security breach at Proctortrack which resulted in the temporary shutdown of its services. Although an independent audit by cybersecurity company Network Intelligence stated that no customer data was breached, this situation illustrates how companies like Proctortrack and Examity can never guarantee the data will be 100 per cent secure.
In conclusion, when using these programs, not only are we being watched and recorded in our homes by people who are not directly affiliated with the university, but a lot of our personal data is being collected. The need to prevent cheating does not outweigh privacy and security. This doesn’t even mention the anxiety and stress proctoring causes for many students. Even then, technology is not the solution for preventing cheating, as there will always be people who find ways around it.
Exam season is now upon us and it’s time to form a strategy to tackle December. The most important part of that strategy is finding a way to take care of yourself during this month of studying. Be sure to take some breaks between your study sessions. Take our quiz to get some suggestions on how to spend these precious breaks.
[wp_quiz id="36279"]
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By: Mitali Chaudhary and Christina Ugge
Athletic sneakers vs. canvas shoes
Are athletic sneakers your thing? If so, comfort for you is obviously key. You care more about keeping your feet snug, as you choose to not jam them into a pair of strappy, pointy little heels. You might be sporty, laid back and you definitely don’t mind a little bit of travelling and exploring. Unlike your other friends, you don’t have to worry about blisters, or any other uncomfortable foot issues.
If you’re a canvas shoe person, you still care about comfort, but value aesthetics a little more. You’re a person who loves variety, and made the smart decision of buying these because they look good paired with virtually everything. You’re also on the cutesy side, and really loved elementary school. Your appreciation of pattern, colour, fabric and glitter might have stemmed from there, which is apparent from the diverse types of canvas shoes you love and wear.
Kitten heels vs. pumps
If you love kitten heels (let’s be real) you’re probably on the taller side, yet still go for the professional and classy look, since it matches your personality seamlessly. You value comfort a little more, and might think that platform stilettos is a death sentence (how does one even walk on thin sticks?). You tend to dress business casual, are focused on what you want from life and are determined to get it.
Ladies who can rock pumps are fierce, and this measure increases with every extra inch added to the heel. If this is you, you’re probably outgoing, love wearing high ponytails and dressing in all black. Style matters to you more than comfort, and you look like you’ve got your shit together, also because your nails are never chipped. You’re definitely a great friend to have because you always have their back and you’re honest when they act in a less-than-intelligent manner.
Knee-high boots vs. booties
If your boots of choice are knee-high in length, you’re definitely a perceptive one. You realize that these boots are a wardrobe staple, and you use them to make dresses work in the winter, or instantly makes leggings look appropriate. You might be a little bit more reserved and uptight, but that also means you’re a perfectionist, and you get things done on time.
Booties imply that you didn’t want to commit to knee-highs, but couldn’t decide if you wanted to wear shoes either. You might be a little indecisive as a person, but having booties allow for that, and you sure are on trend. With these, you can dress on the casual side, or dress it up and can explore a variety of sartorial tastes. You also probably go to farmers markets, sip on lattes in cute coffee shops on the weekends and wear hip ripped jeans, then post it all on Instagram.
Flip-flops vs. sandals
As a lover of flip-flops, you might be classified as a little lazy since they are the easiest shoes to slip on. But you don’t care because who has so much time to think about shoes? You’re out there learning and adventuring, giving your feet some sun time and thinking about the beach. Unfortunately, all this daydreaming might be getting you late a little too often, which is why you choose to slip into your flip-flops every time you run out the door.
If you love wearing sandals of any kind (the strappier the better!), you’re a more summery and whimsical person. You probably enjoy going to music festivals, and wearing feminine dresses. As an individual, you have no problems committing to a decision; you paint your toenails regularly and upkeep them for as long as summer lasts. You’ve got your shit together too, sandal-wearers.
Ballet flats vs. toms
Is a pair of ballet flats your favourite? If so, you’re more of a gentle, old soul; you’re the quintessential girl next door. To any of your outfits, your flats provide a feminine and dainty take, which perfectly describes who you are as well. You probably enjoy all-day shopping trips, but are equally at home in a quiet library.
Do you enjoy having your feet mummified by a cute pair of TOMS? You’re definitely an individual that’s more playful, and loves to laugh and have a good time. You might be just a tad basic (but who secretly isn’t?), have many friends who love life as much as you and Snapchat a lot. Dressing on the casual side is your thing, which means you’re always ready to hit up the new sushi bar in town.
Photo Credit: Organized Chic Diva
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By: Mitali Chaudhary
Sometimes you just know a bad midterm mark is coming when you’re in the exam room, mind blank, slowly getting that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach as you listen to everyone else’s pencils scribbling furiously. Even worse is when you’re blindsided and left stunned at the hands of a subject you studied your heart out for. Either way, getting a bad mark on a midterm is a painful experience that not everyone can simply brush off.
In time, however, it’s entirely possible to bounce back. The best way to start this process is by determining exactly how you prepared for the test and what actions you can take in the future to fill the gaps in your knowledge or steps you can take to ready yourself better for future experiences. If this is done realistically, the reason behind your shortcoming can be picked out and smoothed over, which leads to greater chances of success in the course. Maybe your social hours or casual Internet usage need to be limited or maybe you’re lacking in the organizational department. Whatever the problem may be, once it’s identified, it’s much easier to seek help and set goals to correct it. Fortunately, McMaster University offers everything from counselling to extra help for virtually every course, as well as soft skill workshops for free that can provide support.
It’s also helpful to stay positive and to put the mark into perspective. Although it seems like a big deal at the moment, half a semester still remains and the finals are the real deciding factor of the course grade. It’s therefore much more productive to focus your energy on using the experience as an accurate depiction of what you still need to learn or work on, instead of wallowing over it for a month. Make sure you look at the class average too, it may be that you got a 65 percent and are disappointed by it, but if the class average was a fifty, then I’d say that’s a pretty good mark.
Essentially, to properly bounce back from a botched midterm, a lot of introspection is required, followed by some goal-setting and smart action. This lets the unpleasant event turn into a smudge in your distant memory instead of becoming a large mental stain that constantly intrudes on other thoughts.
