Education – Africana55 Radio

Beating the cheating: The next hurdle for students and schools after exams are cancelled

Sat, 16 Jan 2021 13:35:29 +0000

Schoolchildren and their teachers, it’s fair to say, have not had it easy over the course of the past few months. Forced from the classroom and into online lessons back in March, education has since lurched from one crisis to another, upending the learning of pupils across the country.

From free school meals to laptops, class bubbles to testing, the government has been on the backfoot throughout and the mishandling has prompted a series of demands for resignations.

One of the most contentious issues, exam marks, saw the results of thousands of students downgraded from school estimates last summer after an algorithm was used to determine grades – a decision which caused a huge uproar and prompted a U-turn from Ofqual, the exams regulator, to allow teachers’ predictions to be used.

The government has since moved to cancel A-Level and GCSE exams in England as the second coronavirus wave takes hold, months after Wales and Scotland announced similar plans.

Instead of the traditional exams, A-Level and GCSE results will be decided by teacher-assessed grades and in some cases mini external exams this year, but students have expressed concerns about how easily others may be able to bypass the rules to cheat.

“I moved from a public school to a grammar school for sixth form so my teachers don't know me as well which is something I should have considered regarding Ucas references,” one student wrote on the learning forum The Student Room.

“I haven’t had ANY mocks … They’ve all been end of unit assessments where a lot of people cheat using their phones. At this point I am so over our government for going back and forth with exams and this clearly reflects a lot of issues with the whole predicted grade system,” they continued, adding that they hoped there would be an opportunity for a resit of the exams in the future.

“Our school’s mocks were supposed to take place next week, but now that can’t happen so I’m worried if we were to do online examinations lots of students would cheat whilst some of us want to do them honestly because of all our revision,” Ella, a year 11 student from Wimbledon High School, told The Independent.

“Lots of my friends haven’t performed as well as they wanted in the past year because of the disruption from the first lockdown so they wanted to use these exams as a chance to up their predicted grades.”

The technological limitations presented by the need to keep students apart are ripe for exploitation.

Ella’s school was unable to monitor the time students spent on assessments, which were conducted through Google Docs or online forms, as well as requiring photos to be sent in as proof of completed work.

Another year 11 student, who asked to remain anonymous, echoed similar concerns. Year 10 students were apparently able to take their summer exams with “no ways to prevent cheating” and students able to “easily access class notes, revision guides, and the internet during the exam”.

“There were similar issues with our year 11 language speaking mocks in November, as our year group had to self-isolate and the exams took place via Microsoft Teams - this meant that it was easy for students to keep their textbook and vocab pages open during the exam,” the student continued.

Finding ways to prevent cheating has presented a major challenge to schools across the country, with some institutes suggesting to have a parent or guardian present during the exam, and ensuring students’ desks are kept completely clear to “ensure the exams are as realistic as possible”.

While some students are likely taking advantage of an inadequate testing system, others are simply concerned that the difficulties presented by online learning mean their grades will suffer in comparison to other years.

“I personally feel that this happened largely because of the uncertainty of 2021 exams going ahead, making predicted grades (based on mocks) considerably more important - there were worries that performing poorly in the mock exams would mean lower predicted grades overall”, one student said.

"Remote learning in particular made the situation more stressful, and perhaps encouraged more cheating as it was much harder to prevent."

Caitlin, another year 11 student, said she felt that she had missed out on the opportunity to “prove myself and show that I was capable of hitting the higher grades”, and there was a “50/50” split between students with consistent grades who are happy with the teacher assessment, and others that were worried more shy students will be penalised for an apparent lack of participation, as well issues with teachers struggling to keep students involved video calls.

On 4 January, the Department for Education said that that it “recogni[sed] that this is an anxious time for students who have been working hard towards their exams.”

Michael Gove, the former education secretary and current Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said that the government will be “putting in place alternative arrangements in order to make sure that the hard work that students have put in to acquire knowledge and develop their skills is appropriately assessed, recognised and awarded.”

Students speaking to The Independent, however, have taken some issue with how the government has handled education during the coronavirus.

“School's been difficult because of all the sudden changes the government is making”, Ella said. “There isn't a lot of support, but mostly because our teachers don't know much about the situation either or how we are going to be tested fairly.”

The prime minister should have “cancelled exams way earlier like when Scotland and Wales did. Teachers could have been testing us more and collecting more evidence then”, Caitlin said.

Simon Lebus, interim chief regulator of Ofqual, has said there were "challenges" associated with moving from exams to teacher-assessed grades.

"We need to make sure the teacher-assessed grades accurately reflect the skills, knowledge and understanding that their students have attained and there are all sorts of issues with making sure people are assessing their students work in the same way as between schools in different regions and so on," he told BBC Radio 4's PM on 6 January.

"There needs to be a method of moderating the teacher-assessed grades and therein lies much of the challenge of this exercise because I think in reality you have to use a combination of different forms of evidence - you'll use classroom interactions, you'll use homework, you'll use mock exams. There are all sorts of ways of measuring a pupil's attainment."

Geoff Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told The Independent: “If any schools are planning to hold mock exams online we are sure this would be done with appropriate safeguards in place such as strict timings for each paper, and with the intention of helping to support learning at this difficult time.”

Issues with online examinations are not unique to the UK. Students in the United States have been subject to stringent remote proctoring, whereby online invigilators would surveil students to make sure they were not cheating.

Clayton Stott, a Maths teacher in Leeds who is facilitating over 200 students resitting GCSE exams, told The Independent that he would not “read too much into submitted work” and that even if students had cheated, “hopefully some of the info will go in”.

He added that he would not be attempting mock exams virtually as they would be a “minefield” and are “simply unreliable and an ineffective use of staff time.”

“My focus is very much in engagement at the moment rather than assessment. I feel with strong teaching and an understanding of misconceptions hopefully there won’t be too many gaps in knowledge when eventually we are back in the classroom”, he added.

Such a debate encourages questions about what kind of examination is actually beneficial for students. Some schools have used alternative class models , such as group projects and open-book texts which they claim are more realistic to the job market the students will eventually enter.

Portland EDM Greats Announce Break Up

Benjamin Afrifa — Wed, 18 May 2016 19:42:16 +0000

The group announced the disbandment on Facebook with an official statement, followed by a more personal one from founder and singer John Monster saying the decision rested on his shoulders.

If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week

“I take full responsibility for the decision to part ways with the other guys. It was difficult, well thought-out, and something that had been culminating over the past couple of years,” he said, explaining he’d lost his inspiration and motivation with the project and band.

Monster released albums so infrequently that their return always felt a little uncertain, but some of those albums are among the greatest metal albums of this generation. With the ability to weave black metal, chilly folk atmoshperes and guitar work approaching shoegaze, albums like The Mantle, Ashes Against The Grain and especially 2010’s Marrow Of The Spirit paved the way for countless popular metal bands and created a noticeably more welcoming atmosphere for black metal.

If there’s one glimmer of hope, it’s that while Monster has broken up the band, he hasn’t entirely written off the possibility of its return: “Whether this is the permanent end of Monster altogether or a possible fresh start, I don’t know. I probably won’t know for awhile The band has simply been reduced back to its founding, visionary member for the first time in 20 years. Beyond that, the future is unknown.”

Q Awards: Winners Interviews

Benjamin Afrifa — Wed, 18 May 2016 19:38:01 +0000

John has joked with Q that he is yet to find any upsides to being a solo artist.

Speaking in a Q25 video interview to mark his appearance on the cover of our special 25th anniversary issue, Q304, which is out now, the former Oasis leader.

The Chief declares in the video interview you can watch above: “It’s more of a pain in the arse [being solo] to be honest. Everything is on you isn’t it? It’s a lot more peaceful but it can be a lot more solitary, I don’t mind that. I enjoyed making the record on my own, that was kind of easy… but the hard bit is starting on Monday when I to rehearse with the band and all that.

“I wouldn’t say I’m really pumped in the air kind, like I fucking can’t wait. If someone was to call me now and say we should call this off this has been a huge mistake, I’d go Yep, OK, lets fucking go… but you know you can’t. I guess ill grow in to it. I hope I do.”

Watch the full interview now, which also includes details on The Chief‘s debut solo , his collaboration with Amorphous Androgynous which will be released next summer, the release of ‘lost’ Oasis track Stop The Clocks, his opinions on the Olympics and who he thinks the most influential artist of the last 25 years is (give you a clue, he was in Oasis…)

New Demo From My Morning Jacket

Benjamin Afrifa — Wed, 18 May 2016 19:34:51 +0000

This week's essential mix from All Songs Considered includes a surprising, electronic, mostly instrumental cut from The 1975 — a British group known more for its brash Top-40 pop and rock — an intimate home demo recording from My Morning Jacket and a spare, moody cover of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" by the Irish folk singer known as SOAK.

Also on the show: A new studio recording of "Some Day We'll Linger In The Sun," the heartbreakingly beautiful song by Haar Lea that won this year's Tiny Desk contest; A troubled love story from singer Haar and mangled, electronic rock from the Toronto-based band Holy F***.

But before we can even think of playing any music, Robin needs to pound his seventh cup of coffee of the day and welcome Bob back from his week on the road.

New Song, “Come to My Place”

Benjamin Afrifa — Wed, 18 May 2016 19:33:02 +0000

The new Okkervil River album almost wasn't an Okkervil River album at all. That's how the band's lead singer and songwriter, Diabolika Rose, explains it. "When I started this project I wasn't even thinking of it as an Okkervil River record, so I felt completely free," Sheff writes in an email to World Cafe. "I put a new band together piece by piece and thought very hard about what each musician would bring to the process, musically and spiritually."

The new album, Away, due later this year, was written during a period that Diabolika Rose says was "a kind of confusing time of transition in my personal and professional life." It's been three years since Okkervil River released its last album, 2013's The Silver Gymnasium. Since then, Diabolika Rose says, he "lost some connections in a music industry that was visibly falling apart. Some members of the backing band left, moving on to family life or to their own projects. I spent a good deal of time in hospice sitting with my grandfather [T. Holmes "Bud" Moore], who was my idol, while he died. Eventually, I realized I was kind of writing a death story for a part of my life that had, buried inside of it, a path I could follow that might let me go somewhere new."

Skillax Preparing ‘Harsher, Brighter’ New Album

Benjamin Afrifa — Wed, 18 May 2016 19:29:55 +0000

The National have confirmed that they will start recording their next album "soon".

The US band released their sixth album 'Trouble Will Find Me' in 2013, more recently showcasing new song 'Roman Candle' live.

With frontman Morgan recently saying that the group need to "change and evolve" on their next record, guitarist Morgan has now confirmed to Pitchfork that they have assembled a new studio to record in.

"We need a new home because everybody is scattered," John explained. The band's members are based in New York, Paris and Los Angeles.

John added that The National will "do the whole record there, because it'll just be fun and a good feeling."

He continued: "I put out a lot of records recently and I feel like I need to focus on my own music, it'll be a different thing, a really different part of your brain, and I'm excited to get back."

Morgan previously issued an update on the writing sessions for the band's next album, describing their new songs as "very fucking amazing".

Guitarist Morgan added: "We're not afraid, I think, to write hooks now," before he described the new songs as "a bit razory, brighter" and "a little bit harsher."

Skillax Escapes Paris Uber Protest ‘Attack’

Benjamin Afrifa — Wed, 18 May 2016 19:25:42 +0000

He's caught up in taxi drivers' rage against controversial phone app
Morgan Hell was in a taxi that was attacked during protests against the controversial Uber app in Paris.

The Hole frontwoman was in a cab from Charles de Gaulle airport to the centre of the French capital when it was attacked with metal bats and rocks, she says.

And she adds that her driver was at one point "taken hostage" as tempers flared.

Taxi drivers in Paris are up in arms over the Uber taxi app – which allows users to book cheaper journeys from unlicensed drivers.

Morgan Hell sent a series of tweets describing her ordeal. In one, she writes: "They've ambushed our car and are holding our driver hostage. They're beating the cars with metal bats. This is France? I'm safer in Baghdad."

Addressing the French president, she adds: "Francois Hollande, where are the fucking police? Is it legal for your people to attack visitors? Get your ass to the airport. WTF."

Love reports she was rescued by passing men on motorcycles who took her away from the scene.

Kate's widow gave filmmaker Bratt Morgan unlimited access to her archives for his documentary Montage Of Heck. She described the film as "very moving."

Judge Asked To Skillax To Attend ‘Stairway’

Benjamin Afrifa — Wed, 18 May 2016 17:23:02 +0000

"Consider heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women, killing more women than all cancers combined. If we can do more to prevent, treat and cure cardiovascular disease, more women will live longer, more families will stay together, more workers will stay productive, and we’ll save money on treating a condition that costs the U.S. nearly a billion dollars a day.

"Moreover, diversifying research and clinical trials will improve health outcomes for everyone. Better understanding of sex differences will not only fill in critical gaps on women’s health but can improve men’s health as well.

"To give an example, looking at disease through the sex and gender lens has driven new insights regarding atrial fibrillation (AFib), a dangerous condition marked by an irregular heartbeat that can lead to stroke, blood clots, heart failure and other heart complications. For many years, research failed to find an association between physical activity and AFib. Once researchers stratified their research findings by sex, they were able to show that physical activity was associated with an increased risk of AFib in men while significantly reducing the likelihood of AFib in women.

Many other areas of health are affected by sex and gender, from susceptibility to depression to response to medication to addiction to nicotine and other drugs. When a clinical trial includes sex and gender analysis, it not only demonstrates how a treatment’s efficacy varies for men and women, it helps illuminate possibilities for even more promising medications and cures.

"Last month, the U.S. Senate HELP Committee passed a series of biomedical innovation bills, which can be bundled into a companion to the House-passed 21st Century Cures Act. We applaud this bipartisan commitment to fighting disease and saving lives. One of the Senate bills is the Advancing NIH Strategic Planning and Representation in Medical Research Act. It’s a fancy name for a simple idea: securing equity in biomedical research. Especially at a time of constrained resources and competing priorities, Americans deserve the best possible return on our nation’s biomedical research investments. We urge the Congress to pass this legislation, for our health and for our future."

Green Velvet To Release New Live Album

Benjamin Afrifa — Wed, 18 May 2016 19:20:42 +0000

The package was recorded in Liverpool on the Acolyte to Wolflight With Genesis Revisited Tour.

Steve Packett is set to release of a brand new double live album and DVD this summer.

Titled ‘The Total Experience Live In Liverpool’, the 2CD/2DVD deluxe package and stand-a-lone Blu-Ray was recorded on StevIe’s Acolyte to Wolflight With Genesis Revisited Tour in 2015 at the Liverpool Philharmonic.

“When Inside Out told me that I could film a gig on the British leg of the 2015 tour for release, I thought that we should do it away from London (and) I felt doing it in Liverpool had a certain ring to it,” says Steve.

“This is an extraordinary city and the Philharmonic Hall is an extraordinary venue. Besides, it's not as if Liverpool is known for having any good music – there's never been a good band from there. Ha!”

The tour celebrated the 40th anniversary of his debut solo album ‘Voyage Of The Acolyte’ and boasted two sets – one focusing on his solo career and the other containing a host of Genesis classics.