The return to contact classes and assessments is a contentious issue among students, given that institutions of higher learning are now transitioning away from full-time online learning to gradually re-introducing in-person classes. In light of this, consensus on the return to campus is hard to find as everyone feels justified in their positions on returning to campus or staying home while getting their degrees. Students now find themselves in a precarious position where university directives are often at odds with their lived realities, and the return of the on-campus assessment in the lives of final-year law students is emblematic of this.
On 8 February the office of the Dean of the Faculty of Law released a document titled: Faculty of Law Return to Campus Plan: Semester 1 2022. In the document, the Faculty of Law proposed that final-year law students were to return to campus for “face-to-face” classes for their elective modules. Furthermore, the document stated that final year electives may have assessments on campus, “unless COVID-19 dictates otherwise.” In other words, final year law students have to return to campus for their elective modules, for both classes as well as assessments. The return to campus has garnered a mixed reception from the student body within the class of 2022. The reception can be understood as occurring within two camps.
The first camp’s thoughts concerning the return to on-campus activities can be described as being totally against the return to campus. Their reasons can be briefly summed up as being couched in: the flexibility of full-time online learning as a good reason to keep the system. Supporting this rationale is Katelyn-Mae Carter who says, “I was not someone who actually wanted to return to campus. As someone who doesn’t have accommodation nearby I find getting to campus to be rather difficult amidst traffic, and it can become costly with petrol prices rising.” Noelle Swanepoel agrees and states, “the return to campus was not necessary, the online system worked perfectly. It provided students with the flexibility to study and work in order to earn an income […]. Online learning allowed students to listen to lectures as much as they wanted to.”
The other camp concerning the return to campus sees the return to on-campus activities as positive and would love to expand the current scope that is limited by COVID-19 regulations. Sinqobile Sibiya sees the return to campus as positive and says, “I just wish I could attend all my modules in person, but I understand how impossible it is given that the university has to follow the government restrictions and regulations.”
The return to campus also ushers in with it, the return of contact assessments. The subject of contact assessments garners nuanced responses from both of the aforementioned camps. The first of which requires that online assessments must become a staple of legal education moving forward. Swanepoel says, “In person assessments caused me a lot of anxiety. Online learning allows for students to be in their own environment when writing tests.” Sibiya offers a more detailed explanation for this, “Corporate lawyers do most of their work on computers […] when they draft legal documents for their clients, they have quick and easy access to legislation, policies, and databases. Having access to my learning resources during tests only makes sense.” In light of these ideas, we can deduce that, the opinion that the days of memorising tomes of work for assessment purposes could find themselves as a relic to be left in the past.
However, being students, it is clear that in-person assessments are once again a reality, and with that comes the task of adjusting. Adjusting to in-person assessments after two years of working online from home to complete assessments seems like a daunting task. Swanepoel feels as though it is a return to a status quo she never agreed with in the first place remarking, “some modules allowed us to write a test for 24 hours [during online learning] and this ensured the best possible result for some students, and now we are going back to the in-person assessments that caused a lot of anxiety.” Carter adds to that saying, “we are no longer used to the anxiety of others surrounding us during tests [nor are we used to] having to wear a mask while writing.” Sibiya faces the reality of returning to on-campus activities with mild indifference, “I now much prefer online assessments. For my degree it makes sense. Going back to in-person assessments will be an adjustment, but I will obviously try my best.”
It is clear that there is a lot of thinking and confusion surrounding the return to campus and in-person assessments at the Faculty of Law; one cannot help but wonder if there is a one-size-fits-all solution to the diverse array of feelings that are on display. Most students know the awkward feeling when the instructor looks over at a student’s test paper during a test and shortly thereafter says, “students, please read the questions carefully,” and in light of that, who wouldn’t empathise with those who battle with the anxiety of writing a test in person, especially when they had their wishes granted and wrote tests from home. In contrast, one can also sympathise with students who feel like they can do either, at the end of the day it is about getting that degree. For now, all students can do is: pass their yellow slips to the right and maintain social distance.
Photo: Jaime Lamb
Oh my this is awkward. Having to tell you who I am is a whole ordeal because I am still trying to figure that out myself lol. The most I know at this point is that, I am an unhinged hillbilly from a small town in Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal; My first love had “Petronella” as a middle name (gross right?); I will on occasion get dressed in a onesie, using my red blankie as a cape to live out my fantasy of being the caped crusader of justice: Captain Tanuki; Finally, I have an obsession with owls that should get its own section in the DSM-V. On that owl thing, I feel like in one of my many past lives as a shrew somewhere in the world, I met my end to one of those majestic birds and that specific bird reincarnated as my first love who, at the time of writing, has not killed me…yet! Talk about a circle of life, neh. My goals? Well right now, I have but one very simple goal: to be the best human I can possibly be. Achieving that would make a hillbilly like me, a better person and growth is always good. My time at the paper has made sure I stay on this path. Should a lost soul wanting to know about the paper, stumbles across this bio, I want you to know that I will totally be a radically different person in the best way possible. Who knows, I might have reincarnated as an owl, by then.