Dear Students,
How are all of you and your loved ones doing? Hope you are managing well despite the difficulties that this dreaded virus has brought upon us.
We are fifteen months into the pandemic and starting our third semester into the full virtual learning mode. The restrictions of the pandemic affected all sectors, including us in the academia. To say that it has been challenging is an understatement. Teachers had to hurdle several issues – teaching effectively in a remote setting, keeping students engaged, assessing student outcomes in an equitable manner, among many other concerns. We are sure you also face your own challenges as many of you have expressed to us. Lack of privacy in your study space, domestic problems, financial woes, feeling of isolation, lack of life-work balance – these are some of the many issues that have cropped up because of the prolonged lockdown. Know that we are aware of your difficulties, and we are trying our best to address these so that you can cope or even thrive despite the limitations.
At this unprecedented period, all of us are grappling with how best to be effective teachers. In a fully virtual mode including assessments, temptations to commit academic dishonesty abound. In our desire to be fair to everyone, not to disadvantage those who lack resources such as slow and unreliable connections, most of your teachers do not require synchronous exams, and allow long hours for students to submit the answers. Unfortunately, this situation provides opportunities to get assistance from the Internet (and other resources) to solve the given examination problems. This is something that we will not tolerate. We will keep on repeating this for emphasis – honor above excellence, always, even if we consider what we are doing are inconsequential and trivial. We should not make it a habit, lest we become desensitized at the wrongness of the act. At this crucial juncture of our history, when our national leaders appear to be tolerating dishonesty, we should uphold the value of honesty and reject any form of deception even more.
We do understand that you are under a lot of stress, but this is not an excuse for the commission of dishonest acts. We advise you to inform your teachers when you can not cope with the lessons, or if the deadlines can not be met. You may also inform your teacher if you are thinking of using additional resources and check whether that is acceptable or not. We plan to hold a dialogue with you, and the student organizations on how we can address this issue. We need your help to tackle this, and we are confident that together, we can come up with solutions that we can implement to address this problem.
Let us always remind ourselves that we are in the university to learn and gain knowledge and skills which we need to prepare us to become competent engineers. If we enrolled in the classes merely to get a grade, this would indeed lead to anxiety, stress and even burn-out. It will be an endless and tiring race to get the grade that we covet. But if we do not lose sight of our main reason for being a student, we will find that learning can be fun, exciting, and meaningful. There is nothing to be happy with a grade that was not honestly earned. On the other hand, there is no shame in a low, or even a failing mark.
These are indeed extraordinarily tough times for all. It is in times of crisis when our strength of character is tested. May we all emerge victorious and stronger from this experience. Wishing all of you the best always.
Sincerely,
Maria Antonia N. Tanchuling
UP ICE Director
Message to our Students: ON THE VALUE OF HONESTY
