This page was constructed by Professor SAMiller and was last revised on 19 January 2005.
Comments or suggestions regarding this page are welcome.
"Without problems that test the limits of your abilities, you
cannot expand them."
Think Tank to Seven-of-Nine, Star Trek Voyager
My philosophy derives from long experience with the profession of teaching particular subjects. Over the years I have tried every form of examination (writtens and orals) and every arrangement (timed in-class vs untimed evenings, take-home, open-book, limited writing space vs blue books). I have seen that students who will do well, will do so whether the exam is timed or otherwise; just as those who will not do well do not benefit from unlimited time. As much as possible, I attempt to use an arrangement that prepares students for the sorts of examination (formal and otherwise) that they will encounter after they leave the class room and enter the "real world" where we are all subject to assessment every day.
How? I ask students to write out responses to questions and situations that I present to them in the format of written and practical examinations. I encourage specificity and precision. Students are required to cite specific and appropriate examples, but the choice of an example is theirs. Clicking on this link will take you directly to particulars of my style of examination that are listed at the end of this page.
Why? Requiring that students draw on and select from mental stores of information encourages growth toward a professional management of information, improves ability to communicate, and nurtures a dynamic approach to information that should continue beyond the particular course. If you are curious about a little more perspective on examinations, then keep reading!
Why? Examinations are no longer seen as a universal way of assessing understanding. This has always been the case in humanities courses, but some science courses now shun formal examination as a means of assessment. Because it is also true that life tests us all -- through oral and written intellectual accountability -- I continue to see value in examinations. There are, however, good examinations and other examinations.
The question in the title of this page ought be be constantly on the minds of those who write and those who take exams. Answers to that question will vary over time as subjects and students change. New information might suggest new ways to examine, but at the heart of the effort is always our need to assess. Teachers examine students to assess understanding and ability to handle information. Institutions examine students, or potential students or employees to assess success in reaching goals or potential to function in an environment. Individuals examine themselves to assess success and status.
How? Format of an exam is determined by the subject and the logistics of administering it and evaluating it. I will put the favored modes of examination briefly into context with others. Of course all of my opinions and examples apply to examining in my subdiscipline within biology.
This is the format favored for the logistics of examining large groups. Scoring involves comparison to lists or a chore for a machine. Although it is the dominant format of standardized tests, there are serious limits to effectiveness. Writing good questions may be more challenging than taking a multiple choice test. This format tests recognition more than broad understanding. I recognize that students have been conditioned to succeed in this format and may believe it is the only real "objective" test, but advanced students in small classes (such as those at Hamilton College) deserve more. I call this format "multiple guess" and I do not use it in my courses.
This format allows a test writer to provide some limiting information and it requires a student to respond from mental stores rather than with recognition of words already on the paper. Here too, skill in writing the questions is tested as much as responding to the question. Again, many biases can be revealed in the writing or complicate the examinees interpretation. Although a student must know enough about the material to make an informed choice about what to fill-into a blank or series of blanks in a sentence, it is still a format made as much for ease of grading as for effectiveness in examining. I do not use this format, either.
Having to write out a response to a question using judgement and mental stores is more difficult than responding to reminders on the page in multiple-guess or fill-in formats. This format also allows more flexibility in answering. Often there is no one right way to answer a question. There may be as many good ways to respond as there are students doing the responding. I use this style of examination, and include more about my particulars below.
Sitting in the professor's office one-to-one for an oral exam tests more than just a student's understanding of the subject. The potential for flexibility suggests that oral examination is probably the best way to examine understanding. The professor can adjust the line of questioning to match or direct the situation. The student gets a personalized examination! This is perhaps the best way to assess ability; it is like much of life, interviews, work situations, and parenthood. It is also labor intensive. I have used this format, but not in recent years.
This sort of exam is exactly what the name suggests. It tests application of knowledge and skills in practical situations. This format is often used for laboratory examinations. The format is restricted by the logistics. Items may be set out in a room with short questions placed nearby or on specimens. Progress may be by a dictated path and with time limits in the style of the notorious "musical chairs" exam. There is value in students' learning to perform in constraints of time, but that also limits the type of question that can be asked.
When students are free to move between stations at longer than 1-2 minute intervals they can be expected to confront "unknowns", that is, items they have been prepared to recognize or comment on, but which they may not have seen until that exam. Situations can be presented in short paragraphs, because students have time to read them. Time for thinking is part of the design. I consider practical exams an essential part of learning, and include more about my particulars below.
I do not provide study questions prior to exams. Mature students can make adequate and extensive lists of potential and appropriate questions, and the process of doing that is another form of preparation. Students will anticipate and prepare for much more than can be included on any exam if they are not constrained by crutches like lists. Although I vary the exams with each administration, I do not contribute to files of old exams in the library for the same reason. Such devices are misleading crutches that divert student energy from engaging a subject fully. I am trying to wean students from dependency and to show them their capabilities.
The space provided is always more than adequate. My intent is to force students to think about what is important to put in that space. This is often a challenge for them, because students have been conditoned to write a stream of everything they can think of on a topic. I do not grade exams by weighing the paper, and I do read what is written. I am looking for evidence of selection and understanding.
I place the following items on the cover sheet of each of my written examinations in an effort to make expectations clear, to be fair and consistent, and to remind students to avoid the most common shortcomings.
Rules Governing this Examination:
- Limit answers to the space provided. Excess will not be read for credit.
- Turn in all pages at the end of the exam.
Advice:
- Thinking is as important as writing. Think before you write.
- Address the question that is asked.
- Specific examples are expected.
- Diagrams can enhance, but not substitute for an adequate verbal response.
- Vague answers cannot receive full credit.
- A grader cannot assume understanding, it must be demonstrated in the answer.
I do not believe students are done any favors by being led to believe that unlimited time will automatically lead to better performance. Often it does not. Those who will do well will do so in any format and arrangement. The comforting myth that "if I only had more time" is most often just that: a myth .... or an excuse. Most importantly, real life rarely allows the luxury of unlimited time to respond to a situation. I have seen students rise to challenge and do well when they understand the circumstances. I owe it to them to help them sharpen life skills, even if doing so is not always comfortable.
Benefits of location at a small college like Hamilton are that I rarely have more than 25-30 students in a course and space limits laboratory sections to 15 students. This situation allows me to think more creatively about how I design practical exams. I can write more than "what's this?" questions for Vertebrate Organization; I can ask why and about items. Asking about something is an indirect way of asking what it is while also asking a student to integrate information. to FAQs about taking a VertOrg Practical
Microscopic subjects of Vertebrate Development can be approached in the form of a thoughtful scavenger hunt that allows students to use their skills of microscopy while demonstrating their understanding of the material. Having students place appropriate areas of material at a pointer under the microscope tests all of their skills and judgement and allows for a more real-life flexibility. There can be many appropriate answers and combinations of answers.
It is gratifying to me when former students report that my practical exams were more challenging than those they encountered in medical school. It is gratifying to them (or so they report) that they felt well and strongly prepared by the challenges of my style of practical exams.
There is always a generous supply of extra credit opportunities in my practical and written examinations. These are questions that I consider to be an extra challenge from the level of understanding that I considered reasonable for the exam. In this manner I am actually providing a multi-tiered examination. Students might recoup losses elsewhere, but they will earn the credit. We are all often pleasantly surprised at how well students meet these challenges.
A final grade in a college course speaks to the world beyond the campus about a student's ability in a particular subject. Examinations provide important information for deriving grades. Substitutions for poor performance on an exam and dropping a lowest score effectively mask the fact that a student did not understand whole subject areas of the course. These practices are crutches for self-esteem that ignore the implications. An optional special paper does not replace poor performance on an exam. When there has been a problem with what may be a large fraction of the subject, the time a student spends researching and writing about a narrow topic would be better spent addressing the underlying problems of study methods and habits that led to the poor performance on a test. I owe it to my students to help them grow beyond this bogus deception.