CBT, The Tragedy of 100 Level Students

This article is about my 100 level CBT experience. Kindly read through, and make of it whatever you will.

The two weeks that were scheduled for the mid-semester test, which commenced on 25th October, 2021, were really hectic for all the 100 level students of our prestigious institution, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology. That period was the actual description of “The Survival of the Fittest”.

The first paper was supposed to be GNS 102, but was postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. The day of the next paper arrived, and that was where tragedy began.

As 100 level students, all our tests and examinations were computer-based and we were usually allocated to various ICT centers. On that certain day, over twenty students were reported to have fainted at the various ICT centers. The incident occurred almost every day till all the papers were concluded, It was a tough time for the students and the management, as the victims had to be rushed to the university health centre with immediate effect.

“What could be the explanation for this unfortunate incident?” was the question on my mind and that of others. It could have been that the victims didn’t have breakfast before leaving their various hostels. I mean, it isn’t a crime to skip beakfast at times, but what aggravated the situation was the fact that we always had to wait for hours in the queue under the scorching ‘Ogbomoso sun’ and eventually leave the centers around 6pm. This was due to the slow functioning of the computers and network issues. In fact, there was a particular center in which only fifteen computers were functioning.

I believe the school management has a lot of duties to perform in enhancing the smooth running of Computer-Based Tests in the institution. If the situation is not rectified, the same sequel of events will transpire in the forthcoming tests and examinations of the newly admitted 100 level students; this would paint a bad image and be a slap on the face of the best state university in Nigeria. Nevertheless, I suppose the management has started making plans to put things in the right order.

There are quite a number of ways by which things could be put in the right order:

•Making available chairs for the waiting students to sit and canopies to protect them from harsh weather conditions. Some centers have these already but in limited numbers.

•Those in charge of biometrics verification should be timely in their affairs.

•Proper check-up of the computers before examinations commence.

•The sitting arrangement should be strictly followed batch by batch to avoid overcrowding.

•The students also have a role to play, which is making sure that they feed well and do regular check-up.

In conclusion, if all the suggestions above could be considered, Computer-Based Tests in LAUTECH would no longer be a tragedy.

Thanks, for reading.