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Hans India
4 days ago
- Hans India
Why Ethics in Education Must Evolve Beyond Exam Conduct
Co-authored by- Mr. Zuno George Verghese, Assistant Professor, School of Legal Studies and Governance. Pursuing Ph.D., Tilburg Law School, Tilburg University, Netherlands. in Regulatory Governance from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and Dr. Vikas N. Prabhu, Assistant Professor, School of Business Studies. Former Project Manager, Infosys Ltd. Ph.D., IIM Bangalore, M.A. in Philosophy, Christ University, Bangalore. Ethics and education are two faces of the same coin. Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, believed that a person who knows what is right, will unfailingly do what is right. Therefore, as Socrates would see it, ignorance is the reason why human beings indulge in unethical activities or conduct. In that sense, ethics and education go hand-in-hand. However, while education becomes the bedrock for ethical behaviour of individuals in society, the flip question has long begged consideration and has, unfortunately, received scant attention. Has the process of education – that importantly involves learning and assessing – been ethically evaluated in a comprehensive manner? While the National Education Policy 2020 has served to significantly reform the education system by focusing on foundational literacy, emphasizing teacher training and development, promoting a holistic and flexible curriculum structure for the students, and integrating better with vocational training, there is a need to look beyond the system towards the process where one looks at how the main constituents – the administrators, teachers, and students – engage with the system and realize the best possible outcomes. An ethical evaluation of the process of education would surface those loop holes that are subverting any improvement in effectiveness that reforming the system could deliver. However, while the overlooked interaction between system and process is one root cause of suboptimal educational outcomes, another aspect plagues at the very heart of ethical analysis. Often, discussions of ethics in education have taken a very narrow perspective. They have primarily been concerned with exam conduct – involving issues such as preventing cheating or academic dishonesty during (written) exams, and ways to detect plagiarism (and, now, AI-generated content) in student (assignment) submissions. News of leaked examination papers and novel modes of examination misconduct by students hits news headlines year after year, reinforcing the (narrow) ethical narrative of examination conduct. Both the nodal bodies University Grants Commission and All India Council for Technical Education have undertaken initiatives to reform their evaluation systems a few years back (around 2018-19), based on the belief that evaluation is closely linked to learning outcomes, and is the best indicator of the level of learner accomplishment. But ethics does not predominate ends over the means. There is a fundamental (ethical) flaw in the above (evaluation-focused) approach which emphasizes the ends of education (i.e., learning outcomes) over the means (i.e., the process of learning). Though educational institutes have begun emphasizing continuous learning journeys (through formative and summative assessments), it still ends up as a mere restructuring effort that instead of reducing emphasis on evaluations, increases it. Learners, who were hitherto bogged down by exam pressures towards the end of their terms would now, perhaps, be troubled through the entire term. The alarming rate at which student suicides are occurring in institutions across the country (notably, in the so-called premier institutes) renders the need to question the ethicality of the process of education not just important but also extremely urgent. Therefore, the question that we deem necessary to ask is whether the process of education that is prevalent in our country today can stand its (ethical) ground when it comes to aspects such as inclusivity, fairness, and overall student wellbeing – the factors we believe are pivotal to enhance learning outcomes. The National Achievement Survey (NAS) conducted in 2021 by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, found that levels of student learning had dipped significantly compared to their own 2017 survey. While research suggests that the dip observed in NAS 2021 was owing to the COVID-19 disruption, the disengagement experienced by learners in the post-pandemic-world is a strong indication that ethics in education must evolve beyond exam conduct. We, thus, posit that three categories of ethical questions need to be asked to ensure a comprehensive ethical evaluation of education. (See Exhibit 1 for the three categories of ethical questions) Exhibit 1 Broad-based research in education has shown that enhancing the process of learning will improve learning outcomes. For instance, a study by the University of Michigan (see link: underscored the importance of engagement, communication, and diversity in enhancing learning outcomes. Importantly, the study found that when students are encouraged to coordinate with a diverse bunch of peers their levels of 'active learning' are greatly enhanced. On another front, the increased use of technology in education also needs to be viewed with caution, and carefully implemented. For instance, Sweden has been gradually enacting regulations to restrict screen-time (and mobile phone usage) in schools so as to prevent learner addiction and prioritize their mental health. (See Exhibit 2 for our own experience in this matter while teaching a subject at Vidyashilp University) One of the cases that assumes importance in today's context is towards enabling students to be familiar with and skilled at utilizing AI-tools. A careful implementation of usage of AI-tools by the students has the potential to facilitate the learning of the students at their own pace and intensity, of introducing diversity in the forms of learning, and to engage with their peers on adopting best practices on 'active learning'. Universities should therefore invest in and maintain adequate computing infrastructure to ensure fairness in overcoming disparity in access that specific students might encounter owing to their economic status, gender or background. Such steps would also help with improving the overall well-being of students in equipping them to counter the muddling effect of finding themselves in an 'AI-cho chamber' where their peers are using AI tools, and social media abounds with enthusiastic 'influencers' extolling the benefits of such tools. Exhibit 2 Thus, we deem that a comprehensive shift in ethical evaluation of education system in India is largely due. Focusing merely on the ethics of exam conduct prioritizes ends over means and turns the teacher-student relationship into a cat and mouse game. By taking ethics beyond exam conduct, the education system can develop into an environment where students can shape their future and grow into capable, sensitive, and ethically grounded persons.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
Botox may increase your face value — but you're better off trying this move that doesn't cost a cent, scientists say
Dolly Parton was right. Botox may increase face value for a growing number of Americans, including celebs like Nicole Kidman and Meghan Trainor — but when it comes to making yourself desirable to a prospective partner, researchers say smiling can be even more effective. New research suggests that the popular cosmetic injections do increase users' curb appeal — but when respondents in a survey were asked to rate an array of strange faces, those with upturned lips beat those who merely plumped them up. 4 The research found that smiling could be more effective at enhancing visual appeal than filler injections (pictured). Stasique – Scientists at Tilburg University in The Netherlands also reported that Botox users were likely to be seen as one-night stand prospects — and that getting the costly jabs weren't necessarily useful to those hoping to be taken more seriously as viable life partners. The illusion-shattering findings, published in the journal 'Perception,' come amid a worldwide uptick in Botox usage. Usage of the injectable 'tweakment' has become so frequent that people are actually developing an immunity. Researchers set out to test if people who undergo Botox and other filler treatments are perceived 'more positively by others,' per study co-author Dr. Bastian Jaeger, who claimed that 'existing research on the effectiveness of these treatments is not very strong.' To see if it's worth literally putting one's money where their mouth is, the scientists followed 114 participants who underwent Botox and dermal filler treatments, the Times Of London reported. 4 Study authors found that while Botox can make you more attractive as a mate, it won't necessarily get you to happily ever after any faster. Vasyl – They then asked around 3,000 people to rate their before and after pics on a 7-point attractiveness scale. After reviewing said snaps, which were shot carefully to keep the lighting, expression and other factors consistent across the pics, participants overwhelmingly found that Botox does indeed boost people's visual appeal. 'This difference was rather small: a 0.07-point change in our 7-point attractiveness scale on average,' explained Dr. Jaeger per the Daily Mail. 'This means that on average, a person who was rated a 4 out of 7 on attractiveness before the treatment might be rated a 4.07 out of 7 after treatment.' 4 Participants were asked to evaluate the before-and-after pics of Botox recipients. Sage Journals There was also an increase of 0.13 with regards to how youthful the participants were thought of. However, this paled in comparison to another, less expensive way of enhancing one's attractiveness: smiling. Researchers found that turning one's frown upside down — and not cosmetically — caused one's so-called hotness to soar by 0.4 points, six times more than Botox. 4 'We did not see any benefits of treatment on how competent, intelligent, charismatic, friendly or trustworthy people were perceived to be,' said Jaeger. Drobot Dean – Meanwhile, applying makeup gave people's perceived looks a boost of 0.6 points compared to the filler treatment, which starts at around $300 for a simple forehead injection and involves obstructing nerve signals to muscles, relaxing them and curbing wrinkles. There was another major caveat to alleged Botox-enhanced hotness. While the aesthetic accelerant increased people's desirability as a short-term fling prospect and as a platonic pal — a rise of 0.09 in both categories — there was no statistical improvement in how they were seen as long-term partners. It's unclear why Botox didn't up people's image as soulmate material, but scientists noted that the jabs had no effect on the perception of character traits either. 'We did not see any benefits of treatment on how competent, intelligent, charismatic, friendly or trustworthy people were perceived to be,' said Jaeger. Interestingly, while small amounts of botox did not significantly enhance physical appeal, many people report that, 'after treatment, they find it easier to make friends and that they make a better impression on others,' per Jaeger. Dr. Jaeger attributed this phenomenon to a placebo effect of sorts. 'It is plausible that people have more success socially, not because they look different and people treat them differently, but because they think they do and act more confidently around others (sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy),' he said.
