Final Exams?
Some say that final exams are mere regurgitation of information and have no real value when it comes to preparing students for the workplace today. Your thoughts?
Hilda,
I, too, like projects as this really pulls the coursework together.
Shelly Crider
I like a combination of a final project and exam. This form of assessment is quite effective especially with computer technology based courses
Lisa,
Personal experience discussions are so good for any student. It certainly helps verify the real workforce!
Shelly Crider
Hi Shelly,
I do this for in-class students and like the discussions we get out of it. I guess for an online group, they'd all just have different experiences in unique settings to discuss. It could enrich discussions.
Lisa,
You can give them a real life scenario and let them write how they would handle the situation with specific examples or send the students on a field trip. Have them sit in a Walmart for instance and let the gather info on interactions of people in the check out lines. Then they can tie that back to a particular theory in the book......just thinking out loud here!!
Shelly Crider
I like the idea of a final project. In the classroom environment they are easy to design. I teach General Education - Sociology for nurses and health care workers. It's tough to come up with something that would work in an online environment.......
Christin,
I like this!!! Hands on projects are very worthwhile to the student and his/her grade.
Shelly Crider
For many of the classes I teach, I do not administer final exams. This is mainly because I teach video production and video editing courses. I feel it is much more important that the student can edit video properly, than memorize keyboard shortcuts.
However, I do feel that they final exams can be beneficial, but they are not meant to challenge or "trick" the students. I usually go over an in depth review before any exams I give out. I do feel that knowing a final exam is coming will ensure that the students pay more attention during lectures.
Dan,
I like you analogy! Online is still new enough that pedagogy is still being defined.
Shelly Crider
I agree with Shelly here. "The proof is in the performance" and that "performance" should not be solely assessed on one's ability to memorize or guess to select A, B, C, or D.
In other words, rather than beginning with the act of "Remembering" as the foundation that eventually leads to Understanding, then Applying, then Analyzing, then Evaluating, then Creating - mayhaps we might begin with a student Creating and work our way DOWN the pyramid to Understanding.
Translation: Let's turn Bloom on his head in our modern online learning ecology.
(Call me a revolutionary?)
Dan
Hello Penny,
I think there are other options as oppose to a final such as a project, presentation and or final project which I feel will be equally effective.
Zakevia
Kevin,
This is true, but do we want to keep "traditional" concepts in an online class?
Shelly Crider
I find projects can be a much better gauge of student understanding and ability to apply what they have learned, but they are also difficult to design and assess when compared to traditional exams.
Matthew,
I like this. You have to be able to see learned knowledge.
Shelly Crider
Projects are very good methods of determining if the students were able to understand and implement the information in a real world scenario. I do like short quizzes online as well, but feel they should be timed and not have multiple choice answers. Having a student explain some concepts before they are then asked to implement them in a project works well for many of the subjects the design instructors teach. For example, I have taught Building Codes and use this method. I am able to see if they understand the code and then also if they can use it in a real world scenario.
Penny,
Interesting....I, personally, like a project for a final exam. This will show if a student has absorbed the information. Multiple choice questions on a final exam is a guessing game whether the students know or guessed.
Shelly Crider
Hi Penny,
I think it depends upon the level of instruction. What do you think?
