Computers...

[H2SO4]

The other day (wednesday) I took a test for my Computer Applications test, and like all the tests in that course you take them on the computer and it grades them right when you finish and then records your grades. Well I had forgotten the test was wednesdayu and hadn't studied, so I had to do the whole test from memory, but I was relieved to find that I got a 91% when I finished. In a matter of fact, I was really happy, it really made my otherwise crappy day.

Then, on Friday, (which was also the 13th...), I go into that class and when he bell rings and he starts talking he says how the computer had some sort of "unknown error" and didn't record the test scores, so we had to take them again. Now if you knew this guy you'd know that he really peeves people off because he's really stubborn and thinks his opinions are the only way and the right way so of course he figured we'd all do just as good this time as we did the first. We didn't. I ended up getting a 86%, 5 points lower than before. Someone even got 20 points lower.

That really made me angry. I didn't lose control or go crazy on him, but I was really angry inside. This just furthor supports my dislike of people's reliance on computers. Now I know many people rely on computers because they need to to make money, but seriously, I don't think anything made by man can be perfect, and that includes computers. Too many times have I let computers screw up my life because they fail to meet the minimum requirements we expect of them.

I'm not saying computers are total crap and we should remove them from society, but seriously, I hate when people rely way too much on computers. If the instructor had just printed out a written test, and took the time to grade them himself, then this wouldn't have happened.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Am I completely of base or do people rely on technology way to much?

[Pandable]

Re: Computers...

People rely on technology far too much in general.

[H2SO4]

Re: Computers...

People rely on technology far too much in general.

Yeah, my freelings exactly.

[Perversion]

Re: Computers...

Isn't this post a bit of an oxymoron, though, as the test you were taking was for Computer Applications????

[jvrlopez]

Re: Computers...

If you had really studied and learned the material it wouldn't have mattered.

[DarkwingChuck]

Re: Computers...

Also, there's no point in getting mad at him. It might not be his choice about doing the tests on computer and having them graded automatically. A lot of times a school demands stuff like that because they have to use the systems and programs they purchase up to a quota or else the state thinks they're wasting money. Or the state/district ordered them to get it and use it. Teachers barely get to make any decisions themselves anymore.

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Computers...

So would you rather rely on a paper system handled by imperfect humans, who lose things and misplace them. I fail to see how technology is any different from this. If he was smart he would have had a backup of the tests, or tested the program to make sure it works.

You run into the same problems when you rely on paper trails as well. Paper degrades over time, just like a hard drive or optical disk, and people make recording errors all the time. So while I will agree with you on the autograding a bit, on cut and dry material like computer applications, or math (lower level math, the higher level is a bit more subjective), computers are really good for that, and would be just as accurate as a human.

So when we start letting technology do everything for us, then yeah, we're in trouble. But as long as we allow it to be a supplement to ourselves (an external memory so to speak) it's just as reliable as another human or any other system for the most part. And if it's not autograded it's normally graded by TAs instead of the teacher anyway.

Also you're not wasting paper and such, but you're using energy, so just saying both have their faults. For these sorts of things computers are normally better anyway, at least ones with reliable software, which a lot of colleges don't always use due to cost considerations, better to get a group of students to do these things for free, than buy software from a company.

So professors sometimes lose tests, a fire could burn them all, water could spill on them and make the ink bleed, and computers can crash, all with fairly even odds of unlikely. So most of the fault in computer programs ends up on the programmer themselves. It's their fault for not understanding their system and having enough time to test it, most of the time.

Bottom line is we have to depend on something, wether it be technology or another human, and I say why not use technology for tasks it's better suited for, like long term data retention. In both cases having backups is important.

[Drazus]

Re: Computers...

This reminds me of something in science class. This one girl removed this one assignment from her notebook early, and asked if she could hand it in sooner, the teacher said OK. (He was collecting our notebooks, and she didn't know he wanted that assignment to stay inside.)

Well, she handed it in, next day, he hands back our notebooks and asks us to hand in the assignment.

Day after that, assignments are graded, but it's counted as a 0 for the girl because "she didn't hand it in," even though there were 3 or 4 witnesses saying she had, and that my teacher lost it.

I just can't stand it when teachers try to make their students suffer in general due to human error.

[neobi]

Re: Computers...

You should have taken I screenshot...I always do for stuff like that...

[H2SO4]

Re: Computers...

Isn't this post a bit of an oxymoron, though, as the test you were taking was for Computer Applications????

How so?

If you had really studied and learned the material it wouldn't have mattered.

True, I should have studied for the test in the first place, but when I got a 91%, I didn't think I needed to go back and study it after the test because the computer would lose the scores.

Also, there's no point in getting mad at him. It might not be his choice about doing the tests on computer and having them graded automatically. A lot of times a school demands stuff like that because they have to use the systems and programs they purchase up to a quota or else the state thinks they're wasting money. Or the state/district ordered them to get it and use it. Teachers barely get to make any decisions themselves anymore.

I guess I shouldn't have gotten mad at him because it isn't really his fault the computer messed up, I was just disapointed because this could have been avoided if it was a written test.

I go to a private school, so we don't follow any state regulations thus the teachers have much more control over what we use and learn. In my opinion, theres really no reason for a computer run test, since things like this happens. This wasn't the first time that program screwed up, it screwed up at least three-four times before this, so I think it could have been avoided.

So would you rather rely on a paper system handled by imperfect humans, who lose things and misplace them. I fail to see how technology is any different from this. If he was smart he would have had a backup of the tests, or tested the program to make sure it works.

You run into the same problems when you rely on paper trails as well. Paper degrades over time, just like a hard drive or optical disk, and people make recording errors all the time. So while I will agree with you on the autograding a bit, on cut and dry material like computer applications, or math (lower level math, the higher level is a bit more subjective), computers are really good for that, and would be just as accurate as a human.

So when we start letting technology do everything for us, then yeah, we're in trouble. But as long as we allow it to be a supplement to ourselves (an external memory so to speak) it's just as reliable as another human or any other system for the most part. And if it's not autograded it's normally graded by TAs instead of the teacher anyway.

Also you're not wasting paper and such, but you're using energy, so just saying both have their faults. For these sorts of things computers are normally better anyway, at least ones with reliable software, which a lot of colleges don't always use due to cost considerations, better to get a group of students to do these things for free, than buy software from a company.

So professors sometimes lose tests, a fire could burn them all, water could spill on them and make the ink bleed, and computers can crash, all with fairly even odds of unlikely. So most of the fault in computer programs ends up on the programmer themselves. It's their fault for not understanding their system and having enough time to test it, most of the time.

Bottom line is we have to depend on something, wether it be technology or another human, and I say why not use technology for tasks it's better suited for, like long term data retention. In both cases having backups is important.

I think I may have explained in the original post what happened a bit poorly, The program (that is, the program that we took the test on), failed to ever record the test scores. It didn't lose them, it just for some reason, decided not to take them, so not having backups wasn't really the problem. That's what he told us. The point I'm trying to make is that why would the teacher, who chose to use the program (he said it himself), when it had failed numerous times before.

I'm all for automated test programs, but people shouldn't rely on something that has failed before. To be safe, he could have given us a answer key for us to write the answers on, and had us take it on the computer (and he has done this before after the program failed to record a class's midterm test grades.).

You should have taken I screenshot...I always do for stuff like that...

I didn't think of that. Plus he would've got mad at me for taking a screenshot of the test, then the next class could possibly come in, find it, and study it before we began.

[Perversion]

Re: Computers...

How so?

Well, just how you were talking about how we shouldn't be so reliant on technology, and the class you were being tested on was the epitome of technology (Computer Applications). :P

[thetruecoolness]

Re: Computers...

Ok I see your point Phoenix, though this is really a case of User Error, since he knew it failed in the past (and wasn't changed), and should have used a different program. So for important things like this, yeah he should have used a scantron or something if he knew it didn't work. But you are right, blindly depending on computers or technology is not a good idea. Though with all things it's important to know they've been tested or proven, same idea companies use when hiring people.

So in this case technology is not the root cause, though that program should not be used until it gets a much needed update and actually starts working. Since it does not fulfil it's main purpose of being able to let someone take a test and record the scores accurately, and all the time (barring an unrelated system failure, like a black out, or another program crashing the system).