Thread by @doctorow, Math students at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario have been ordered [...]

Cory Doctorow

doctorow

Math students at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario have been ordered to buy an external webcam and a means of fixing it over their shoulder so that proctors can watch them as they sit exams.

https://www.ourwindsor.ca/news-story/9973888-math-students-at-wilfrid-laurier-furious-after-department-orders-them-to-buy-external-webcams-for-exams/

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A high-handed note from Math Dept chair Roman Makarov told students, "there are no alternatives to writing exams in this manner."

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The department has been unsympathetic to pleas from students who point out that all the online retailers are sold out of webcams, and the stock on Ebay is a mix of poor-quality products, counterfeits, and resold items from rampant price-gougers.

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A university spox said that the school would find "options for students who face difficulty obtaining external webcams" but didn't delve into details, beyond pointing out that the chair had recommended "borrowing or renting equipment and pointing to financial supports..."

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Students are also required to use Respondus's spyware "invigilation" tool while sitting exams.

The student union has raised the issue of whether "proper non-tuition fee/expense guidelines are followed."

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eof/

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