RE: [HAPS-L] Comprehensive final exam - pros and cons

["Tom Lehman" <tom.lehman@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Carl,

I give comprehensive exams for both my A&P I and A&P II classes, for a
number of reasons.
(1) It allows me to ask questions of inter-relationships between various
organ systems covered throughout the course and see how well they've
coordinated their learning.
(2) It's a skill that they need to master if they're heading for an
advanced degree (i.e. Nursing).
(3) It's a valuable tool for me to see how well they retain material
from more than a week old.

Tom Lehman
Coconino Community College
Flagstaff, Arizona

-----Original Message-----
From: HAPS-L-owner@xxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:HAPS-L-owner@xxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Carl Shuster
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2007 1:38 PM
To: HAPS-L@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [HAPS-L] Comprehensive final exam - pros and cons


Hello, everyone,

I am right in the middle of putting together my final exam for A&P2.
For years, I have given a comprehensive final exam, but I am starting to
have second thoughts.  I was wondering how many of you give a
comprehensive final exam at the end of each semester, and what the
arguments for or against might be.

I know it is the end of the semester, and I'm not likely to get many
responses right now, but I give my comprehensive exam this coming
Monday, and the sheer neurosis/stress/panic/hypertension this is causing
my students got me to re-evaluate my own arguments for giving one in the
first place.  Is it worth the angst????  Or am I creating all this
tension for nothing?   Is it a silly hoop?

Discuss.....

Carl S (sitting on the fence on this one)

Carl Shuster
Biology
Madison Area Technical College
(608) 246-6203
CShuster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.matcmadison.edu/faculty/cshuster/


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