14
Computer Casualties
Outta Sitel
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IT IS NOT YET NOON, AND ALREADY STUDENTS ARE HOLED UP IN campus computer labs, slouching beneath fluorescent lights as they click through the World-Wide Web, post e-mail messages and pound out term papers.
Burn Your Blue Books
COLLEGE BOOKSTORES MAY SOON HAVE TO CUT THEIR LOSSES on blue book inventories, because computerized test-taking is quickly becoming a virtual reality.
That's right within the next few years you may be taking graphically interfaced, computerized finals, and they won't be limited to technical fields. You could be taking your Shakespeare final or your Spanish midterm with a keyboard instead of a No.2 pencil.
Who needs No.2 pencils when you've got a keyboard?
Drake Prometric, a Minnesota-based company, has already implemented electronic tests for pilots at aviation schools around the country and is working on tests for nontechnical college classes.
With electronic testing, professors will be able to develop in-depth questions, using advanced graphics, to make sure students really know their stuff. Questions can be designed using multiple choice, short answer or essays. The tests also boast an instant computerized answering system that computes your score immediately. That means no more angst-ridden waiting period before your grade shows up.
Jonathan Marut, a senior aviation technology major at Central Missouri State U. has already taken exams on computer. "It's
a simple interface, easy to use, and you don't have to wait around for results," he says. But Marut still uses an older, analog interface known as "pen and paper" for making notes and calculations.
Still, some students are skeptical. "I think it creates another barrier between the student and the test," says Scott Kates, a senior at Syracuse U. Students would have to worry about not only the test, Kates explains, but also the computer itself.
What we want to know is: How long before they invent a virtual study program?
Debra D'Agostino, Syracuse U./Photo by Jason Millstein, U. of Arizona
But while their minds are expanding, their bodies could be deteriorating.
Computer-related injuries have tripled since 1984, according to the Bureau of Labor. Known as ergonomics disorders, these technoinjuries can become crippling.
Carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis can leave you with pain and numbness in your shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. Ouch! And if you ignore the symptoms, you may have to go under the knife to relieve the pain.
And that's not all. The computer you thought was your new best friend could end up being a real pain in the neck. And the back.
Karen Allen, the U. of Virginia's ergonomics task force chair, stresses prevention. Being armed with the proper equipment — a mouse pad with a wrist rest, an adjustable chair, an anti-glare screen — can help. But you need to use common sense, too. If you're finishing that last-minute term paper, stretch your muscles and drag your eyes away from the screen.
"There's a penalty to pay if you don't," says Chris Goodrum, a junior at Georgia Tech, who actually took a human interface course. "If you're on the computer for eight or nine hours at a time, you can get lower-back pain or wrist pain."
Remember when your grade school teacher scolded you for slouching? You should have listened. Sitting up straight, taking the keyboard off your lap and keeping the monitor an arm's distance away can prevent problems.
Even with awareness, students may not make the necessary equipment and posture changes until it's too late.
Larry Glasser, a junior at Northwestern U., says that although he occasionally has headaches, he doesn't think about the problems his frequent Internet use could cause.
"I figure if every time I turn off the computer I have a sore wrist or throbbing headache, then I'll do something about it."
Courtney Calma, Penn State U./illustration by Rob Lilly, American Animation Institute, Calif.
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12 U. Magazine • October 1995
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