How and why my students wrote their own final exam

December 13, 2010

I teach a first-year university course called “Effective Learning”. This semester, topics included managing exam stress, how to prepare for exams and strategies to during a test including such things as reading over the exam before you start writing and answering the questions you know first. Most of the assessment I did for this class was strength-based evaluation such as group projects, evaluated presentations and portfolios. We did one test at the end of the semester.

I decided to engage the students in the exam development process. We spent time in class reviewing what types of exam questions were acceptable (e.g. multiple choice, short answer, essay) and what content would be covered. The questions were based on material from the two textbooks, as well as materials from in-class presentations and discussions. All the material covered from the first day of the semester was to be included in the final exam.

Earlier in the semester students had worked with a partner to present a presentation that was a synthesis of two readings each. For the development of the test questions, students worked with the same partner and prepared questions on each reading they had done their class presentations on some weeks earlier. Students were challenged to come up with at least 5 questions per chapter and to include more than one type of question (multiple choice, short answer, etc.)

Students prepared test questions and handed them in to me.  I compiled them into one document, noting which questions related to which chapters in the text or readings from the course pack. I also noted which students had contributed which questions. The questions were distributed to all students for study purposes. The result was a 10-page study guide comprised of potential test questions that they themselves had generated.

I let them know that I would be selecting from their contributed test questions and that I would also be adding some questions of my own that would not be shared before the exam.

The process of having students develop test questions proved to be a useful learning exercise for them. They got to experience what it is like to write exam questions and the thought-process that goes into it. Knowing that this was not simply an academic exercise but that some of these questions would actually appear on the final exam added a much-needed element of authenticity. Students took the exercise seriously when they knew that it would impact their peers.

Finally, they reported being more engaged with both the material and the study process when they had the opportunity to contribute questions. Suddenly it wasn’t an exam inflicted upon them, so much as a challenge they co-developed and were ready to take on.

Related post:

Course design: 7 ways I engaged my students in the process http://wp.me/pNAh3-nV

_____________

Share or Tweet this post: How and why my students wrote their own final exam http://wp.me/pNAh3-o2

Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

Comments Off on How and why my students wrote their own final exam | education, learning strategies, teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Tis the season to market with care

December 10, 2010

Are you going crazy at this time of year, trying to wrap up projects and cross things off your “to do” list before you take a break for winter holidays? In our frenzy to get stuff done and manage the stress of the season, something gets lost.

We know we are all supposed to be thinking about other people this season. Any variety of charity organizations won’t let us forget that, as the plea for donations skyrockets in December. We are inundated with reminders about how we should care. And yet, sometimes it can feel a little hollow. There’s so much to do. It’s all a little overwhelming.

To make things worse, this is the time of year when school administrators least want to think about marketing and promoting their programs. Besides, marketing is a business activity. There is often an anti-commercialism undercurrent to the holidays if you work in the non-profit and educational sectors. You know marketing is a year-round activity and yet, somehow it can just seem wrong at this time of year.

Here are some suggestions to manage the stress, put the positive back in the season and do a little advocacy for your program while you are at it:

Choose how you will approach the season – If you work in an non-profit charity program and December has always been a big month to receive donations, well don’t stop doing what works, for heaven’s sake. But if you notice that your staff are exhausted and people around you seem desensitized by the increased requests for money that happen during the holidays, you may be more effective if you don’t push the sales side of things, but rather take the time to re-ignite and reinvigorate your relationships – without even a hint of a sales pitch.

Celebrate – I don’t mean celebrate for the sake of it or because it’s expected. I’m talking about making time in your schedule to applaud those who have reached a milestone – graduation from a program or completion of a course or a job well done by teachers. Make it about them. 100% about them. This is giving the gift of your generosity, your full attention and your focus. They’ll remember it.

Connect – Sincerely, genuinely connect with others. Take the time to look them in the eye. Smile. Listen. Be present. Pick up the phone and call contacts, for no other reason than to say, “You crossed my mind the other day and I realized it’s been a while since we talked. I just wanted to say hello.” If you make a round of phone calls, focus on listening and sharing, rather than telling. This is the gift of listening and sharing.

Ask questions – One of my favorite questions of the holiday season is “What are you looking forward to this month?” I’m often amazed how this question takes people aback and they have to think a minute before they answer. They’re not expecting it. The conversations that question can lead to have been positively magical at times. This is the gift of focussing on others, and gently encouraging them to pause and think about what matters to them.

These are subtle, understated ways to reduce the stress of the season, while deepening our connections with others. The cool thing about deepening our connections is that it can later have a positive impact on marketing… but you won’t find these suggestions in any marketing textbook.

____________________________________________

Share this post: Tis the season to market with care https://wp.me/pNAh3-pj

Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

 

Comments Off on Tis the season to market with care | marketing | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Spanish, French, German and ASL: Most Popular Languages Taught in US

December 8, 2010

Dan Berrett’s article, “Getting Their Babel On” (Inside Higher Ed, Dec. 8, 2010) shares the results of a study conducted by the Modern Language Association (MLA) in terms of university students in the US studying foreign languages. Here are the highlights:

  • The rate at which students took foreign language courses in 2009 remained constant, compared to three years prior.
  • The number of enrollments in language courses grew from 1.57 million in 2006 to 1.68 million in 2009, or 6.6 percent. However, the total number of enrollments in undergraduate courses as a whole also increased. In simple terms this means that language courses account for 8.6 of every 100 course enrollments in post-secondary institutions. That number has remained the same since 2006.
  • Of every 100 undergraduate degrees earned, 1.16 of them are in foreign languages.
  • 70 % of undergrad degrees in foreign languages are earned by women.
  • The most popular languages to study (aside from English, which is not considered a “foreign” language in the US) are Spanish, French, German, and American Sign Language, in that order.
  • American universities teach a total of 232 different languages.
  • Arabic boasted the highest increases in enrollments last year, with a 46% increase over the three previous years.
  • Graduate program enrollments in languages have dropped by 6.7 percent since 2006.

__________________

Share this post: Spanish, French, German and ASL: Most Popular Languages Taught in US https://wp.me/pNAh3-pe

Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

2 Comments | education, languages | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Effective Learning Video – by students, for students

December 7, 2010

As many of you know, I am teaching a course in effective learning and metacognition this semester. We cover practical topics such as time management, note-taking, best study practices and how to prepare for exams. We also examine some theoretical aspects of metacognition and learning.

One assignment this semester was for students to undertake a group project that highlighted their learnings. One group produced a video which they have chosen to share publicly on YouTube. I am just so proud of them, I wanted to share it with you:

It’s a super demonstration of their understanding and personal growth during the course, as well as their use of technology to do a group project. Best of all, they got to highlight individual talents and skills to produce the video.

______________

Share this post: Effective Learning Video – by students, for students http://wp.me/pNAh3-p9

Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

3 Comments | education, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Ten Trends in 21st Century Education

December 2, 2010

Learning in this century differs greatly from education of the 20th century in some ways. As the first decade of the new millennium wraps up, we can look back and see these trends that have emerged and are likely to continue in the coming decade.

  1. Increased use and integration of technology.
  2. Globalized approaches to learning.
  3. Awareness of economic factors affecting education.
  4. Need for a highly skilled, competitive workforce.
  5. “Borderless” and cross-border education.
  6. Increased student and faculty mobility.
  7. Individualized, customizable, learner-centred approaches.
  8. Strategic partnerships and alliances among governments, school boards, schools and individual educators.
  9. Emergence of non-formal and informal learning, driven by technology
  10. Frameworks, benchmarks and other asset-based approaches to assessment.

_______________

Share this post: Ten Trends in 21st Century Education http://wp.me/pNAh3-oX

Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

3 Comments | education, technology | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »