I was thinking, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, that since there are almost 450 people taking this course, having the exam in campus and putting everyone in one room (even as big as STCC) would pose a potential health risk. So given that, I would like to ask why we can't have the exam online?
this in the end is not decided by us but by EPFL, and will still depend on how the covid situation evolves.
the form (in person or not) is not decided yet, but if it is held in person then a preliminary date is Wednesday 13.01.2021 from 16h15 to 19h15 in STCC (but this might change still), with logistics and safety measures similar as we've seen in the first covid wave in the august exam session.
we also offer extramural (remote) exams for exchange students abroad, or if you are affected by corona travel restrictions.
If you are worried about fairness, have you considered adopting Respondus? It's a web browser that locks almost all functionalities of the computer, preventing the user from opening other tabs etc... It is now widely used in Italy; it might be somewhat of an inconvenience to cope with it, but to me it's still better than coming back to Switzerland for just one exam.
Obviously, it would be even better to just have a take-home exam or online oral exam (what about this?).
500 individual oral exams are a slight hassle :). a secure browser like respondus wouldn't prevent people from using a ton of other devices for communicating at the same time.
so far, nothing is decided yet (decision is at IC school level currently), and we'll most likely do the same as most other large EPFL courses do...
Applied data analysis, Stats for data science and distributed info sys are all online... Sorry, I couldn't help but point out if ML is online then I can go home and see my family again, which I haven't been able to do for almost a year now thanks to covid19...
I also wonder what should I do if I have chronic respiratory condition? I can't breathe well even without a mask. Do I need to wear a mask during the exam? Also I am not sure how well I will breathe if I got covid.
@tiannan , i know it's difficult this year to plan anything. but the remote studies did give opportunity to spend the entire spring and fall semesters abroad if students prefer.
if you are in a high risk group please contact us by email asap, and we there might be the possibility to arrange a remote (extramural) exam via zoom if you have a prof at a local university supervising you, or we also have a number of separate rooms as a possibility.
the exam is now scheduled
Wednesday 13.01.2021 from 16h15 to 19h15 in the SwissTech Convention Center.
we are aware there are a lot of uncertainties around covid these days. we have already gained experience with exams in this form during the summer in the very same rooms under covid safety rules. nevertheless, we don't know at the moment what will happen if cases increase further in CH.
if you are abroad and affected by travel restrictions, or if you are confirmed in a health risk group, or if you're an exchange student already back home please fill this form with a home university advisor, and in any contact us as soon as possible.
Exam in campus?
Hi!
I was thinking, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, that since there are almost 450 people taking this course, having the exam in campus and putting everyone in one room (even as big as STCC) would pose a potential health risk. So given that, I would like to ask why we can't have the exam online?
Thank you very much
8
+1 !
3
this in the end is not decided by us but by EPFL, and will still depend on how the covid situation evolves.
the form (in person or not) is not decided yet, but if it is held in person then a preliminary date is Wednesday 13.01.2021 from 16h15 to 19h15 in STCC (but this might change still), with logistics and safety measures similar as we've seen in the first covid wave in the august exam session.
we also offer extramural (remote) exams for exchange students abroad, or if you are affected by corona travel restrictions.
we will definitely keep you updated as soon as we get any news, and for now can only point you to the current info on https://www.epfl.ch/campus/security-safety/en/health/coronavirus-covid19/
(BTW suggestions on scalable and fair online exam format are welcome anytime too)
7
If you are worried about fairness, have you considered adopting Respondus? It's a web browser that locks almost all functionalities of the computer, preventing the user from opening other tabs etc... It is now widely used in Italy; it might be somewhat of an inconvenience to cope with it, but to me it's still better than coming back to Switzerland for just one exam.
Obviously, it would be even better to just have a take-home exam or online oral exam (what about this?).
500 individual oral exams are a slight hassle :). a secure browser like respondus wouldn't prevent people from using a ton of other devices for communicating at the same time.
so far, nothing is decided yet (decision is at IC school level currently), and we'll most likely do the same as most other large EPFL courses do...
4
Applied data analysis, Stats for data science and distributed info sys are all online... Sorry, I couldn't help but point out if ML is online then I can go home and see my family again, which I haven't been able to do for almost a year now thanks to covid19...
I also wonder what should I do if I have chronic respiratory condition? I can't breathe well even without a mask. Do I need to wear a mask during the exam? Also I am not sure how well I will breathe if I got covid.
5
@tiannan , i know it's difficult this year to plan anything. but the remote studies did give opportunity to spend the entire spring and fall semesters abroad if students prefer.
if you are in a high risk group please contact us by email asap, and we there might be the possibility to arrange a remote (extramural) exam via zoom if you have a prof at a local university supervising you, or we also have a number of separate rooms as a possibility.
sent by moodle:
dear students
the exam is now scheduled
Wednesday 13.01.2021 from 16h15 to 19h15 in the SwissTech Convention Center.
we are aware there are a lot of uncertainties around covid these days. we have already gained experience with exams in this form during the summer in the very same rooms under covid safety rules. nevertheless, we don't know at the moment what will happen if cases increase further in CH.
if you are abroad and affected by travel restrictions, or if you are confirmed in a health risk group, or if you're an exchange student already back home please fill this form with a home university advisor, and in any contact us as soon as possible.
fingers crossed,
martin & nicolas
1
Add comment