This decision has raised strong feelings and reactions from students in our community and from student representatives on the University Council. These have been communicated to the Executive Board by members of the University Council on several occasions. Specifically, at the moment, about the implementation of the second camera.
We understand the frustrations many students feel. In these difficult times, proctoring adds to the stress students experience during exam periods and may feel as an infringement of privacy. Stress about a faulty connection, uncertainty about the validity of your exam and unease about privacy concerns are greatly affecting student wellbeing. The addition of a second camera can exacerbate these feelings. We also see that the validity of examinations is important for ourselves as well as the university as a whole. In our opinion, the use of a second camera does not weigh these arguments correctly and falls short in taking student wellbeing into account.
We have put these concerns to the Executive Board, asked them to provide more information on the situation and the decision-making process and will be working together with Faculty Councils to put forward a clear student perspective on this. We ask the university to focus on the many alternatives to proctoring and reverse the implementation of a second camera.
We are fighting to make your voices heard. Because it is conversations like these where we must push to ensure that students are heard, so please keep reaching out to us with your concerns. Now is the time for a fair path forward, with better alternatives, on examinations in COVID times.
On behalf of the student body of the University Council,
Wouter van Dam, Bram Heesen, Philip van Moll, Afrodita Dobreva, Luca Kriese, Armand Gozé, Jasper Klasen, Olaf Hornes, Younes Assou, Diederik Mosch, Joep Schoenmakers, Dian van Toor
