Students wearing “anti-cheating hats” during their midterm exams at a university in southern Luzon, Philippines went viral. Images of college students at the Bicol University College of Engineering in Legazpi City, Bicol, designed the hats to prevent themselves from peeking at their classmates’ exam papers.
Mary Joy Mandane-Ortiz, a professor at the university, said she was inspired by a similar headgear project at a Thai university that didn’t receive positive feedback a few years ago. Ortiz, however, encouraged the students and allowed them creative freedom in designing their hats. The Filipino students were earnest about the project, which resulted in creative hats that have garnered national and international attention. Photos of Ortiz’s students were shared through a post on Facebook on Monday, and were trending on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as on various media outlets.
Various hats were elaborately created based on the students’ imagination. Some were hilarious while others drew inspiration from famous characters, such as a Hokage headdress from “Naruto”, a Spartan helmet, a Minion head and a Jollibee mask made of cardboard, and even one with a label selling candies. Some students wore household items, such as clothes hangers, egg crates and even underwear.
Ortiz wrote on Facebook that the anti-cheating hat serves as a reminder to students to study well and not cheat, as well as promote the values of integrity and honesty. She added that since the engineering midterm exams can be pressuring and stressful, the activity eased the tension and created a fun environment during the examinations.
