GHS Reacts to Online Midterms

Obviously a lot about academia has changed since the start of the pandemic and online tests are not foreign to any student, but the midterm exam is something that has not been seen in the online world of schooling until now. Whether or not it was better or worse for the students can only be seen through their voice, so multiple GHS students voiced their opinions about the new online midterms.

“I like the in person one a lot more because I don’t think that it's fair to have homework and classes between studying and taking midterms'' claims Willow Scappace, a GHS senior. This is referring to the fact that the online midterms did not halt the flow of classes like they usually do, some students having one midterm each day followed by regular classes and work.

This is a valid point to consider, as in the in person midterms are a week of themselves only having the tests each day with practically no work outside of the tests. This gives the students more time to study and focus on the test, rather than having to do homework any other classes as mentioned previously. However this might be an unpopular opinion as online midterms have no real restrictions on the materials that can be used.

One “benefit” to the students about online midterms is the ability to use any resource on the test. The teachers can try to limit this by making the test timed or making questions that cannot be looked up, but ultimately if a student wanted to they could google any answer that they please. This raises concerns to teachers as they do not want their students to cheat, but what can they really do. This is a blessing and a curse to this form of learning because whether or not the students are actually learning the material may be unknown to the teachers, but there isn’t an effective way to gauge their understanding.

Another senior at GHS Ruari Maloney believes in this sentiment by saying, “online midterms are far easier, especially the ones that are open notes.” Having midterms online practically eliminates the need to memorize equations or dates, as one could just look those things up online. This is the real problem with online learning.

Online examinations eliminate the need for any student to memorize information, which is a key skill in any sort of subject. Knowing equations for mathematics or knowing dates for history aids in the development of larger ideas about a topic.

Ultimately, whether or not online midterms are better for students is unknown, but the change from in person to online has students divided in opinion.