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Monday, December 12, 2005
The Kobayashi Maru
Finals are all but finished now and the experience has left me with a thought I will share with you good folks.
With the Internet, cell phones and other portable electronics being omnipresence on campus those in charge of giving out exams seem to need a degree in computer sciences just to be able to keep up with those taking the easy way out of passing a test. Last week a professor of mine complained about one student text messaging the questions on a test to his roommate who was searching Google and feeding the answers back to the student taking the test.
My question is this: in today's world wouldn't the ability to handle the latest technology for resourceful and unique problem-solving, "thinking outside the box" as it is often termed, be on of the better skills a person needs to get ahead in the world outside of college? Has the student my professor complained about shown himself to be much more attractive to potential employers than a student who spent his/her time studying and then has to rely on his/her memory for the answers?
I am reminded of a scene in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Kirstie Alley's character brings up Starfleet's unbeatable test The Kobayashi Maru. McCoy tells us Kirk is the only Starfleet cadet to beat the test. How? He hacked into the machine giving the test and reprogrammed it. Starfleet is apparently a cool enough place that Kirk got a commendation for original thinking. Is that how colleges should now treat students who use all available materials to make sure every question the answer is correct (instantaneous research is maybe a better term than "cheating")? I suppose there is the whole ethics thing but do today's employers really care about that over hiring a young face that has already mastered every device the 21st Century has to offer?
"I don't believe in the no-win scenario.”
Permanent Link: 7:36 AM |
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