| Although I don't think I can add much to what has already been said, comprehensive finals (and I give one in all of my classes) enable professors and students to: • see how much material is retained from earlier in the term or earlier in the year • ask questions (both the professor of the students and the students of themselves) that enable the integration of material from various systems or subsystems • understand that material must be retained in order for it (the material) and them (the students) to be useful • understand that in the "real life" (employment) material must continually be reviewed and retained because real life "tests" and the application of that material will come each and every day For my final exams I try to subdivide the material 1/2 new (not yet tested upon) and 1/2 comprehensive. The comprehensive questions deal with the integration of material and the over-arching concepts (i.e. homeostasis, gradients, integration of sensory information etc.) that have run through the course. An example of an over-arching question from my upper-division neuroanatomy class that enables me to be able to see how well students can integrate and tie-together material from all aspects of the CNS and PNS is as follows: You are standing with your feet apart, eyes forward. A tennis ball is thrown to you 15 inches off center, such that you must lean to your left (without raising your feet off of the ground) to catch the ball. Discuss all of the integrative neurological processes that are involved in order to catch the ball. One final throught -- a really well-written comprehensive final (or any well-written examination for that matter) is an exam that tests what the students know -- not what they don't know. Good luck to all as we enter finals and grading. See you at HAPS. Bob ************************************************************ Robert B. Tallitsch, Ph.D. Professor of Biology Augustana College 639 38'th Street Rock Island, IL. 61201-2296 Internet: RobertTallitsch@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Office telephone: (309)794-3441 FAX: (309)794-7722 (please mark to my attention) ALTERNATE FAX: (309)794-8399 (please mark to my attention) ************************************************************ I am a teacher. A teacher is someone who leads. There is no magic here. I do not walk on water, I do not part the sea. I just love my students. (adapted from Marva Collins) ************************************************************ Teaching is the playful search and discovery with others for the potential in each of them—and in me. (Louis Schmier) ************************************************************ Confidentiality Notice: This email and its attachments may contain confidential and/or copyrighted material. If you were not an intended recipient, please do not read, copy, use or disclose this communication to others; also please notify the sender by replying to this message, and then delete it from your system. Thank you. We may monitor email to and from our network. |