She had no problem cheating on her students, so she said the hat was “just for fun.”
She never expected a mechanical engineering student to wear such a whimsical hat, she said. She also didn’t expect the overwhelmingly positive response after a photo of her hat went viral in local news reports.
Some were practical: one student built a wall out of egg cartons. Another put tubes over his eyes to create literal tunnel vision. Others wore wigs, decorated boxes, or dressed up like anime characters.
“I was surprised because it was a simple request.” [they make] It’s something very simple, but they made something very creative,” she said.
Students wanted their midterms to be memorable, as they were excited to return to their first in-person exams after being stuck at home during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
She hasn’t finished grading all of her exams yet, but her students quickly state that they have finished the tests and completed all the questions. “I’m so proud of them,” she said. “I am very happy because they are very talented students. Exams are supposed to be stressful and scary, but they made the exam more interesting and amazing. That’s why I did well in the exam.”
