UK exam rooms could be equipped with CCTV cameras
Quite honestly, we can't imagine anyone finding this the least bit surprising -- after all, aren't CCTV cameras and the UK an inseparable pair by now? Nevertheless, the Examination Officers' Association across the pond is currently mulling the idea of installing surveillance equipment in exam halls in order to keep an eye on test-taking cheaters. Apparently students are turning to their mobiles more and more (no way!) to plug any holes in their memory, and while the project hasn't been set in stone just yet, it seems to be headed in that direction. Ah, whatever happened to those old fashioned cram sessions?[Thanks, Tomek]
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Dan Davis @ Apr 11th 2008 4:05PM
How do I reach these Keeds???
xenon @ Apr 11th 2008 4:12PM
The sex change was a big mistake!
roosel4 @ Apr 11th 2008 4:18PM
hahaha i saw that south park episode
nerrrrrrd @ Apr 11th 2008 4:19PM
Mostly white people in UK so they should be fine.
TheWakeUpCall @ Apr 13th 2008 7:16AM
nerrrd what do you mean?
Magallanes @ Apr 11th 2008 4:11PM
Bad :use cellphone on a exam, because it's noising, flashing and soo obvious.
Classic but a still usable :pen and paper.
Good :use a hp48/gx/49, TI or Casio on a exam at least that the teacher will ask for a calculator-less exam.
Faulken S Wulf @ Apr 12th 2008 12:04AM
I don't see the big deal. In my 2-year college in Iowa, we already have cameras in the testing room. Cellphones, iPods, Notepads, Coats, Hats, and Scientific Calculators (except for certain math exams) are banned.
This isn't big brother, its just educators trying to ensure that people are honestly obtaining their grades. I don't see what the big deal is. "OMG! They're watching me circle the letter B!"
Wake me when there's real news.
Mark @ Apr 11th 2008 4:13PM
good idea.
In college, I ratted on every cheater I saw.
Shinigami @ Apr 11th 2008 4:27PM
I hate rats...
Billy Fiul @ Apr 11th 2008 4:29PM
I hate people who hate rats....
Bobs @ Apr 11th 2008 7:14PM
I hate strawberry icecream.
Thi mam(kris120890) @ Apr 11th 2008 4:14PM
Not aloud mobiles in test rooms.
this information is couple of years late.
It wont work give it a week it ll be scrapped
Zak @ Apr 11th 2008 4:30PM
If you put them on mute they're not aloud at all.
shanoboy @ Apr 11th 2008 4:35PM
Why not? Everything else in the UK is on CCTV.
tom @ Apr 11th 2008 4:35PM
a couple of guys from my school loaded their mini usb equiped scientific calculators with possible answers from the exam and they actually got away with it!!
Kris S. @ Apr 11th 2008 4:48PM
When I first read the title I thought that they were going to install cameras in doctors exam rooms.
RC @ Apr 11th 2008 5:33PM
Ditto. I also thought it was speculation of current activities. Like, there may have a been a camera filming your breast exam!
Shane @ Apr 11th 2008 6:00PM
Glad I wasn't the only one who got that from the title!
nick_l @ Apr 13th 2008 2:21AM
ditto.
chris @ Apr 11th 2008 4:51PM
Big Ben should be renamed Big Brother
kyoseki @ Apr 11th 2008 10:50PM
I do enjoy seeing all these comments railing against CCTV in the UK.
Ever been to Vegas? I've never felt CCTV as much as I do there.
Technex @ Apr 11th 2008 4:57PM
Seems like I'm the only one that done my tests fair :(.
RyoKimball @ Apr 11th 2008 5:35PM
I remember a friend of mine entering an entire essay onto his cell phone so he could copy it down during test time.
Craig M. @ Apr 11th 2008 6:04PM
That's crazy.
Cellenin @ Apr 11th 2008 7:00PM
Hopefully the students will reenact this part from "Spies like us".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d04IlR6Gyw
asdf46 @ Apr 11th 2008 7:34PM
Am I the only one that was thinking medical exam rooms?
GreezyG @ Apr 11th 2008 7:48PM
When I first read this headline I thought they meant an exam room like at a hospital or doctors office. CC cameras in a testing center I dont have any problem with. It should be up to the college though. This sounds like the UK mandating this policy to make money for survelience companies.
Bluetide @ Apr 11th 2008 8:30PM
Our uni already sort of has CCTV in exam halls as an example the student union nightclub is used as one and thats full of CCTV its also in many of the other locations exams happen in are equiped with cctv.
ryan10ad @ Apr 12th 2008 4:23AM
Just to point out, as far as I know, the Examination Officers' Association is only in England and Wales. Separate systems operate in Northern Ireland and Scotland (the SQA)
yvsmadhav @ Apr 12th 2008 5:54AM
In my state of Orissa of India, the Board of Secondary Education installed cameras in the 10th class examination recently. No idea about the monitoring or the effect the cams had on the cheats.
El N @ Apr 12th 2008 6:05PM
I just saw the DVD of the documentary "EVERY STEP YOU TAKE" (http://www.EveryStepYouTake.org), which really opens your eyes about CCTV in the UK ... I think every Briton must see this film in order to be able to understand the scam.
All this is just terrifying, and this film really reveals what needs to be known by the people!
oipunx @ Apr 13th 2008 3:43AM
People have been doing this since the TI's have been out. All the people I knew that could afford these in High School, cheated with them. I didn't have the money, I had a cheapy. But people used these in physics like crazy and they didn't have to remember shit, it always pissed me off.
Rocketboy @ Apr 13th 2008 11:13AM
Wow, there's a place in Englad that DOES NOT have CCTV cameras? Odd.
Oh wait, I forgot it was evil Amerika that was spying on their citizens at all time. Silly me.
Danny @ Apr 14th 2008 6:04AM
A British cheat certainly wouldn't get far with the Oxford American dictionary. I'd say let that person cheat, and mock them when the ize's and the -or's become their ultimate downfall. But maybe I'm a bit sadistic.
Dark-Dx @ Apr 20th 2008 11:48PM
I once got caught using a cellphone in an exam, but the teacher couldn't prove it :P
I also cheat in every exam I need. Cellphone, asking my classmates, bringing a little paper with the anwers, asking my cousin who knows maths over sms, etc.
Am I bad? :P