VIRAL: Anti-Cheating Hats at Bicol University Make Exams Strangely Entertaining

(SPOT.ph) It was an early Halloween costume party for mechanical engineering students of Bicol University who were required to wear hats that covered their peripheral vision to guard against cheating. 

As this would be the students' first face-to-face midterm exam in two years, engineering professor Mary Joy Mandane-Ortiz told SPOT.ph she looked for creative ways on how to remind them to not peek at their classmates' papers.

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"May mga nakita ako online na anti-cheating hats tapos naging interested ako don and nakita ko na maganda itong strategy para sa darating na exam," she told SPOT.ph.

In her mind, they should be wearing plain white folder around their heads as a reminder that they must study hard ahead of their exam.

It was a Friday when she told more than 300 students to bring their anti-cheating hats to school. Monday came, and her students were wearing Jollibee face masks, egg cartons and anime costumes. Some wore signages to remind their classmate to pray before answering the test question.

"Ako mismo nasorpresa na ganun 'yung gagawin nila, na very creative 'yung ginawa nila, kasi two days before exam ko binigay 'yun so 'di ko naman ine-expect na gagawa sila ng creative hats, kasi sabi ko simple lang," said Ortiz.

"Sabi nila sa akin, just for fun. Kasi itong mga estudyante ko, natural sa kanila maging funny and creative at the same time. Very cool lang talaga mga estudyante ko."

Anti-cheating hats are effective and fun

It was a fun way for both students and teachers to destress, Ortiz said. It was extra rewarding for them when social media users around the world -- from the UK to China -- took notice and praised them for their creativity, she said.

Ortiz was so glad of her students' initiative that she gave them bonus points in the exam. "Lahat naman nabigyan ng points."

So was it effective in stopping cheating? Ortiz said no one was caught cheating when she roamed around the classroom.

"Sobrang proud talaga ako sa kanila kasi ang totoong nagpa-viral hindi 'yung post ko or ako, kundi sila talaga na nagpa-viral ng kanilang gawa kasi kung hindi sila naging creative at kung hindi sila naging innovative, I think hindi din naman ito mag-viral at magbibigay good vibes sa tao. Deserve nila ma-appreciate, masuportahan at mabigyan ng love."

And we agree! There were too many creative anti-cheating hats to include here but these ones stood out: