Just when students had gotten comfortable with online examinations and were passing with flying colours, the gates of schools and colleges opened announcing the dates of offline exams.
Students are now dreading offline exams. The online education phase in their life made them realise how easy and convenient online exams really were. Students are unwilling to pull themselves out of that comfort zone.
Although the online examinations in most schools and colleges were proctored, they still left ample scope for students to use it to the best of their benefit. Copying in exams had never been easier before. This is one of the main reasons why returning back to an examination hall with only a compass box, no gadgets and with an examiner always keeping an eye on every single movement of every student, has now become a nightmare for students.
One of the key concerns of going back to offline exams for students is unlearning the mindset they had developed during the lockdown of taking online exams lightly. Schools and colleges have announced their exam dates leaving very little time for students to study.
Dhanya Menon and Priya Malhotra, students of MIT-ADT Pune said that “offline exams were always the ideal way, but the pandemic got us habituated to taking exams in online mode for almost two years. That is why offline exams are stressing us. It seems like the preparation will go a little difficult, but eventually, we will again get used to it”
Most students are reflecting the same thought and have thus begun preparing for their exams.
The teaching faculty on the other hand has taken a sign of relief. There will no longer be any hassle of managing and conducting examinations online that created a lot of technological complications.
Going back to the offline mode of learning after one and a half years in general, can become tedious for many due to a combination of factors. Due to social detachment during the pandemic, many students slipped into mental health concerns like depression and anxiety. Most developed a laidback and lazy attitude. The morning frenzy of waking up early, pushing down breakfast into the belly and rushing to attend the first lecture in an attempt to not miss attendance all disappeared in just one night. It got replaced with students starting their mornings hooked to their mobile phones asking for Zoom meeting passcodes. Further, students also forgot the hybrid classroom decorum which is making it more difficult for them to keep up with online learning.
What students can do is start preparing for offline exams way beforehand. Make notes of everything taught in class and read about on topic each day. This way. This way, there won’t be much pressure on the mind at the end moment. Students can also practice writing answers to maintain speed. It will help them to finish their papers on time. Group studies can also help to break the mental block created about offline exams. Eventually, just as students got a hang of online education, they will also get used to offline learning again.
