From: gsdlee@babbage.uwaterloo.ca (G. Lee)
Subject: Re: Using programmable calcs in exams
Organization: University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 21:06:32 GMT

In article <19DEC199213241557@pavo.concordia.ca> dl_mill@pavo.concordia.ca (MILLER, DARREL L.) writes:
>  I'm looking for some feedback on the attitude different universities have
>to using calculators like the HP48 in examiniations.
>  Over the past 2 years then number of HP's at Concordia University has 
>probably tripled.  The problem is the teachers are really unaware of their
>capabilities and view them as merely an expensive electronic crib sheet.  
>Due to this there is much opposition from the professors to allow students
>to use "programmable" calculators.
>  I'm interested in hearing about experiences that other students have had 
>relating to this.  Do other universities allow them, encourage their use or
>maybe (god forbid) actually teach students how to use these tools?
>

Just recently (this Fall) the EE department at the University of Waterloo 
has decided to ban the use of all 'Programmable Calculators' during the exams.

The question was raised during one of the departmental meeting and 
the profs UNANIMOUSLY voted to ban the use of 'Programmable Calculators'
during the exams. Currently, it's only at the departmental level, but
later it could be addressed at the Engineering Faculty Level.

One of the issues that prompted this action by the EE department was the
fact that some students have programmed their calculators to do some of the
calculation automatically. During the exams they simply use the program
and write the final result on the exam paper without showing any intermediates
steps. The prof who taught that course did not appreciate it, and did not give 
them the full mark, but this incident has prompted the EE department to
examine its policy on the use of Programmable calculators during exams.

Some of the arguments used by the EE department about this decision of banning
'ALL' programmable calculators are:

1) It's impractical to keep up to date with a list of what calulators are
   permissible and what others aren't considering that the maufacturers
   of calculators come out with new models every few months.

2) Some students use the programmable calculators as crib sheets, although 
   the prof could go through all students and erase the memory of their 
   calculators before the exams (don't laugh, I heard one prof actually
   did it :) ), it's impractical.

3) With the use of Programmable calculators, some students lose the concepts
   of basic knowledge and rely on the programmable calculators.  

4) The students who own a programmable calculator have an advantage over
   students who only have simple basic function calculators in term of 
   time. eg. In a Calculus course, a student who owns a graphic calulator
   can use his calculator to draw a graph, which will give him at least
   5-10 minutes advantage over another student who doesn't have one 
   calculator and do it manually.

Personally, I think the programmable calculators should be allowed during the 
exams, but I also realized that some students have been abusing it and 
used it as crib sheet. However, I don't think that the majority should
be punished because of the misuse by the minority.  

Some of my classmates (4th year EE students) are thinking of appeaing the 
decision by the department ( those who have programmable calculators that
is :) ).  If you have any suggestions or arguments that you think  
might help our case, please post it to this newsgoup or send me an email. 
Or if you have other arguments which support the decision to ban
the programmable calculators, please post it to this newsgroup as well.

Thanks, 

- Gary,  gsdlee@sunee.uwaterloo.ca