Editor’s note: This is a satirical opinion piece. The names of people mentioned and their quotes are completely fictional. The situation this story is based on is also fictional.

Numerous Iowa State students have reported losing points on presentations due to technical errors this semester. This grading practice is supported by virtually every professor, most of whom suffer from daily technical errors.

As technology develops, educators have been known to do their best to incorporate and adapt to the newest technologies. Professors at Iowa State can be seen using new programs like Kahoot, Top Hat and Prezi. All the changing technology is sometimes too much for professors to keep track of.

Reagan Preston, junior in English, said her professors have technical troubles virtually every day. “Sometimes the PowerPoints freeze, other times the microphone dies and sometimes the professor forgets how to do a simple Google search and it takes 15 minutes and four students to help them understand. It happens to the best of us!”

Preston said she has lost points for technical difficulties on presentations before too. One time, she explained, she forgot to turn off the autoplay feature on YouTube. “My video ended, and in the middle of my next slide, another video began playing unexpectedly.”

She was able to stop the video after only a second, but it was too late. The professor’s notes on her project say the surprising video was a distraction. Preston says she went into office hours to debate the grade. After she mentioned autoplay, her professor said “Don’t make things up. I’ve never heard of autoplay on YouTube.”

Preston told the Daily “that explained a lot.”

Explaining why he believes the grades are justified, marketing lecturer Tom Wilkinson said, “we are trying to encourage students to organize their presentations ahead of time.”

Coincidentally, the Iowa State Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching has a similar, nearly word-for-word encouragement to professors.

In an email response to the Daily, Wilkinson said at the end of the day it is best to remember that technical preparation is not the only aspect of a grade. He typed, “lots of times there is grammatical errors to.”