Should online students stay muted during tests and quizzes?

 Unmuted mic during zoom meeting

Unmuted mic during zoom meeting

In The Village School, some teachers are making it mandatory in their classes for students to turn on their microphones during the time tests/quizzes are being taken. This has happened since the beginning of the school year, however it is happening in more classes. In my opinion, I strongly believe that students should keep their microphones muted during tests or quizzes, and here is why.

It is understandable that teachers are doing this to make sure that students are turning in their own work, but it does have its cons. My main and only concern is background noise. Background noise has been heard almost every time students had to unmute during an exam. This can be very distracting. It should be taken into consideration that there are students that can’t focus with noise in the background and that they work better when it is quiet. 9th grader Village student Riya Naik was taking a quiz and all students had to be unmuted. “It was very hard to focus and I had to keep re-reading the question because I couldn’t comprehend it because all I could hear were dogs loudly barking,” she said.

Not to mention, it can cause anxiety. Students may be anxious about the fact that there could be a sound that happens in their house, and that the whole class would hear. Instead of worrying just about their exam, they also think about if there will ever be a noise, and that can be very distracting to the individual student. They could also feel restricted on movement. Little things like sneezing and yawning should not be over thought but they are because of the noise it will cause. Not only does unmuted mics trigger students with anxiety, but it also affects students with ADHD. Fidgeting is something that is common among many students. They do this for many reasons. Those reasons could be because it gives them relief, it’s a habit, or it helps them focus. Examples of fidgeting would be things like clicking your pen or shaking your leg (the chair could make a noise). 

Keeping the camera on is reasonable, but having students turn on their microphone can be a bit invading personal privacy. Students should be able to take their exams without worrying about little things like making noise or struggling with understanding a question due to distractions. Having an exam in the first place can cause anxiety/make them anxious. The Village School has always made an effort to make the school a better place for their students and they have succeeded. Mics staying muted during exams is just something else that should be taken into deep consideration!