Assignment of a different kind

VIRTUAL WORLD

Most assignments carry marks these days, which add up to the over-all percentage of the student at the end of an academic year. Some institutions have gone online when it comes to the submission of assignments while some students give a copy of the printed material.

Some assignments are in the form of presentations and nowadays, most college assignments need research. ‘Metrolife’ finds out how has the change in doing assignments has had an impact on students. Shilpa, a student from Christ University, prefers submitting assignments online rather than writing them out.

“Writing takes a lot of time. First, we have to write a rough copy, edit it and then write a fair copy. But when we type it out on the computer, we don’t have to waste our time editing since there are automatic spell checks and grammar checks available. On the computer, you don’t need to do more than a copy as well. Besides, typing is faster.”

She adds, “On the other hand, whenever I write, the information gets registered in my mind. But I have to do a thorough research before penning it down for final submission. When I have to type things out, I don’t really have to look into the details of the information available online as long as it makes sense. Personally, submitting the assignments online is better since the deadlines are more flexible. While submitting them by hand has to be done during college hours.”

Priyanka, a BA Journalism student from Christ University, also prefers submitting assignments online. “It’s a waste of paper otherwise. We have many assignments, which we have to submit continuously. Most of the deadlines for these assignments are a day or two apart. Online work taps creativity since we can experiment with  fonts and styles. It is easy to research and do the assignments at the same time online. It also helps us keep up with technology. Many pictures are available online which can be added to the assignments as well and make them more interesting.”

She notes, “Sometimes, the lecturers don’t understand a student’s handwriting and some students present shabbily-written assignments. This might cost them marks.”
Vijay, from JGICMS, says his college does not have an option of submitting assignments online.

“We do all the assignments by hand. Rarely, we take a print-out of our assignments. We have yellow assignment books given to us by the college at the start of the academic year. These booklets tally the total score. If given a choice, I’d rather type than manually write the assignments — mainly because my writing is bad and I can type faster. The assignments also get over quickly since it’s easier to copy-paste from the Internet.”
Students definitely prefer technology for a quicker and easier learning. The Internet gives their assignments an edge and makes them more fun.