By: John Simons (Executive Dean, Faculty of humanities at Macquarie University)
http://theconversation.edu.au/why-we-should-abolish-the-university-exam-1329
The time has come to abolish university examinations. undecomposed because something has been around a long time theres no reason to withdraw its outdated. But in the cocktail dress of exams that assumption would be right.
Weve all been through it. You sit down in a room for two or three hours and answer questions from memory. Now were wedded to the nous thats how you should test someones knowledge.
But investigate shows that examinations dont develop questioning, self sufficient learners. So why fix universities, by and large, chosen to retain them?
The case for examinations
People deploy a number of line of merchandises in demur of examinations: they represent a gold standard of assessment to bit grade inflation; they guarantee the requirements of professional bodies; they provide a sea wall against the rising tide of plagiarism.
These reasons have variable degrees of merit but none of them, in themselves, provide a complete defence of the examination system.
Its true that grades have apparently been improving for a few years now.
As the content of degrees has remained relatively stable during that time I assume that degrees have not got easier but that it is easier to do well and maybe the students simply work harder and do better.
But the improvement is truly down to offering students alternatives to examinations. When tested in other shipway students outfox better marks. So the gold standard argument comes down to a choice to test a student in a way that depresses their capacity to get a high mark. I am not sure why any teacher would want to do that.
Highlighting that exams terminate ensure a common professional standard has some merit, but what is a university for if it is simply delivering the requirements of a third party?
The case that exams save us from academic malpractice has...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Orderessay
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