Turkish University Mails Over 10,000 Mirrors to Prevent Students From Cheating

A university in Turkey has conceived of an ingenious method to preventing cheating on exams taken online, as reported by TRT World. Bilkent University in Ankara has sent all its students medium-sized mirrors to place behind them while they take tests.

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Securing online exams

The goal of the mirror is to ensure there is noting on their screens or behind them that can help them. 

“We are trying to secure the online exams for all of our students, by making sure that they only have the questions on their screen, and nothing else,” Chancellor Abdullah Atalar told TRT World. “It’s not because we think our students cheat.”

“This is just one of the precautions we take,” Atalar added. “The students do not touch the keyboard or the mouse, we see their hands. They write their answers in their own handwriting and then scan their answers and send them to us so they can be graded by their instructors.”

The technique, according to Atalar, has been used by Google during interviews. It's an efficient method that is also quite cheap as the mirrors cost only three to four dollars each.

Honor pledge

The school also issues an honor pledge that all students must sign.

“I pledge on my honor that the work that I will submit for my final exams will be entirely my own. I will not receive or utilize any unauthorized assistance from any source, nor will I provide such assistance to others. I understand and accept that any violation of integrity on my part will result in a disciplinary hearing and may lead to severe penalties," states Bilkent University's pledge.

Atalar insists that the school does not believe its students are cheaters. Instead, it is implementing the mirror technique to guarantee future employers know the students passed their exams all on their own.