Essay
I feel essay questions can really tell me how much of the material is understood.
Errors that impede understanding of the response should be noted. A Google search of outstanding/unusual terms and phrases has often aided in reducing plagiarism.
Hi Sharlen - Thanks for your post to the forum. I applaud your attitude! We have to hold our students to a high standard so that they will be able to succeed in their careers. (They will thank us later!!) Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Yes, I agree. It is a chance for students to really talk about what they have learned and how they can apply it to their profession. Yes, they need to use correct mechanics, spelling, puncutation and not the "text" language - this is what they will have to do when they enter the world of work!
Hi Claudia- Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, that's it exactly - critical thinking takes the student from just learning concepts and skills to being able to apply them by analyzing the situation and choosing the appropriate solutions. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
"Critical thinking" is such a buzz word today and very much emphasized in professions; isn't this a way for the student to apply knowledge to, actually, solve a problem and APPLY a broad base of information to come up with a conclusion?
Hi Karl- Thanks for your post to the forum. You bring up some significant issues. Yes, students do cram for tests and then promptly forget. Still, we need to have ways to frequently assess if our students are understanding what we are teaching them, before they get too off track. Ideally we would use essays or one-on-one assessment, but realistically, rarely do we have that gift of time. I really rely on projects that require students to research and synthesize because I have seen that given the right assignment they get excited, engaged, and will even be able to discuss those projects in their job interviews. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
You are assuming that the nature of assessment is always about information retention. The fact of the matter is that teaching formats are mostly poorly designed to test information retention -- students study and dump on information intensive topics -- and most real knowledge isn't about a smorgasbord of facts, but rather a framework within which fats make sense. By relying on what most students now call "multiple guess" tests, you are encouraging students to cram and forget, alienating them from their education.
I completely agree with you!! Essay questions allow the students to explain exactly what they mean. This offers them the opportunity to explain exactly what they learned and it also allows them to apply it by explaining further. They can use examples or relate it to something. I do prefer essay questions as well.
I agree. A long answer essay question can help determine what a student knows as well as how it can be applied to certain aspects of the subject matter.
I do not care very much for essay tests. Many students have very poor grammer and writing skills and I do not think they are always able to communicate what they have learned effectively in an essay. Also, when testing, students are always more nervous. Combining the nerves and poor writing/grammer skills can create a poor assessment of the student's knowledge. I prefer a skill or multiple choice test as I feel the student will be able to demonstrate the knowledge if they have truely retained the information.
Hi DaNae- Thanks for your post to the forum! I think the key is to have a really detailed rubric. Make it cover any possible way that you could take points off. Best wishes- Susan
I like to give essay questions because it allows me to understand where they are coming from and why they think the way they do. I don't like grading them however. In a large class, I don't always feel like the student whose paper I graded first would have gotten the same grade if I had graded it last. Would love some tips on this one. P.S. I always use a rubric when grading essay tests but subjectively I think it can be still tricky!
Hi Michael- Thanks for your post to the forum. I like your idea of using the essay as a reflection paper because I can see how it will also allow them to see how what they are learn is relative to their future careers.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Sometimes. I think essays work well to see how much the STUDENT thinks they know about the material. It's not always indicative of what you want them to know.
In the more technical classes, I've found multiple choice works best, personally, and I use the essay as a sort of reflection paper. I want to know how they feel the knowledge they've gained relates to the field as a whole
