Sorry for the Danish post i hope you can translate it.
The Ministry warns that Microsoft programs can create problems for written exams for students with Mac computers.
Users who have updated the programs to the latest version may experience the programs running slowly, freezing and crashing. This means that the examinees are delayed in their work and that parts of the answers risk being lost, write the Agency for Education and Quality and the Agency for IT and Learning in a notice to schools.
Why are they using Word in an exam in the first palace? Like, to write an essay? Our non-pen-and-paper exams were all using some web platform that worked pretty well.
It’s mostly for students with issues that puts them at a bigger disadvantage to those that are “normal” when writing with a pen. Learning difficulties and motor function issues and differences alike. I used a word processor in exams towards the end of college due to learning difficulties and a subconscious grip that would ache my hand with overuse of a pen that slowed me down compared to others by a lot.
This is not true. At least not here in Denmark. Computers are ackctually required
Oh interesting. I stand corrected
Can a school lend you a computer if you don’t have one of your own? Or only have a shared stationary one?
It’s Denmark, everyone can afford a laptop, even if it is difficult for someone the government pays you $900 USD a month to study.
Some schools do and others dont. It depends on what municipality they are and how they are budgeted. That said, all students get paid 6.820 kr. (€914/$916) a month while they study by the state and are offered very affordable loans. Also the actual education is free so getting a PC is often no more of a problem than buying books
And are books required to be bought? We usually use books that are easy to download for free.
I have to answer based on what I hear and not that may be the case. I believe that this depends on the education. Some require one to buy books, but there is a thriving marked for second hand books. I would not be surprised though if many also are available for free downloads, but I can’t be sure
The article says that the Ministry has suggested students use other programs, so it sounds like it’s just something students often use rather than something that’s actually required. I’ve not been in school for a long time, but I am doing a distance learning course and when I had to submit some written stuff I definitely found it more comfortable to type it up in an actual word processor than the web platform that only showed about a paragraph at a time, so I did that and then copied it to the web platform.
Both middle school and high school in Denmark are required to use computers for Danish, English, German etc exams. It’s used for essays and other tests. It’s been like this since the early 2000.