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& #39;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& #39;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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