Finals week is a time synonymous with academic progression, and long nights filled with what feels like endless hours of tedious studying.
In years past, the Stanley Library would be seen filled with students all pushing through the same process of information intake, comprehension, and application. However, as of lately the narrative behind what a finals week is has shifted.
Due to the introduction of online learning, the more familiar process of in-person studying, tutoring, and even the concept of having a final class date set at all is seeming to be lost within the shuffle of an ever-expanding era dominated by technology.
Senior captain of the Women’s Soccer team Ashli Wuss claims she only has one in person final, a slideshow presentation set for next wednesday.
“I did my studying two days before my written final for history of sports,” Wuss explained, “We completed the written assessment during class time on Wednesday, and with the multiple choice section being available online, I don’t have to go in during the allotted final time.”
It is important to note that while she spoke on two different classes in which there was a final exam-esque assignment, multiple of her other classes do not include such requirements at all; or if they did, the assignment was able to be completed online.
First-year Iron Wrestler Andres Cortes’s finals week saw a very similar outcome to Wuss, with only one in-person required attendance set for next week’s exams.
“The only class I have to go in for anymore is chemistry,” Cortes detailed. “I can either go in on Monday or Tuesday to take it, all the rest of my classes either had an online final or it was finished in class time.”
Walking around campus is almost eerie at this point in the year, as many students have completed their finals online and have begun their elongated break early.
Even the Library has about the same, if not less students studying within its walls due to the simple matter of students not needing the space to find success in the classroom as it has been for so many decades.
Ferrum may not see a traditional finals week any time in the near future if the rise of technology continues to grow and expand as it has, however that does not exactly translate to a worse experience for the student.
Many of the students being able to go back to their hometowns early is helpful to their mental health, as it not only allows them to spend more time with loved ones or enjoying a much needed break, it also relieves the pressure associated with having so many exams to be juggling at once.
The more spread out format of exam week because of technology allows students to work at a pace over a certain amount of weeks that reduces the stress of so much information needing to be replenished in such a short period of time whilst still providing the academic challenge of showing proficiency in the course.
Overall, finals week will always be a time of academic prowess, even if its form of expression has become slightly muted over the years.
