Thank you Jon. I like the way that you ask the
students to demonstrate deeper knowledge.
I use the following structure instead of a comprehensive exam:
4-5 unit exams that cover multiple chapters on similar or related
chapters/organ systems. And the students have a research paper that is
due in week 12 of a 15 week course. There is a list of disorders to
choose from, and the students have specific requirements to include how
each organ system is affected by the disorder, and how the disorder is
affected by each organ system. They must include treatment options as
well, and what effect the treatment(s) have on the rest of the body.
This is not a cut and paste assignment, rather they must demonstrate a
deep understanding of how all the parts come together to make a human.
The student who take this assignment to heart is truly ready enter
clinical classes.
I have attached the assignment handout for A&P II. A&P I is
very similar, but limited to the organ systems (and related disorders)
covered in that class. I always welcome feedback.
Evan
Jon Jackson wrote:
Carl
— talking to my social work buddies - they say they strive to make the
best social worker out of each of their students. As ssuch, they feel
that grades are DEGRADING. They simply make the students do a task over
and over until it's been done to the level of the grade the student
says they want -even social swork professors must assign grades,
apparently...
Me _ I give a final anatomy exam (see attached, and you all are welcome
to use it - simply don't post it anywhere my kids can find it until
after next week...) Iask the kind of fundamental things about
information flow in and out of the spinal cord/CNS -- the concepts of
what has to happen for any muscle (never mind if you've forgotten the
name of the one that helps you turn the ignition over in your car...),
to trace the flow of material through the wonderful tubes that are our
digestive, reproductive, respiratory and circulatory systems, and to
quite simply demonstrate that you've mastered the names of ALL of the
bones in the body.
For those who won't or can't see the attachment - there are eight
questions — students can choose five. This makes the test a 50 point
exam -- their regular unit exams are worth 80 points. So the students
know that this is a "capstone" experience (to use the popular jargon of
the day) of the course, and yet, most of the determination of their
final grade has been based on the previous work they;ve done (or not)
in the semester.
I have foundd that most of the students report to me that the leave the
test realizing that they knew more anatomy than they realized. Of
course, there are always those handful who, having been told the type
of questions to expect, simply stare at the sheets of paper for 45
minutes and write (as one student did this morning) "I'm embarrassed to
turn this in." With little to show for her hoped for career in allied
health.
Hope this helps inform or assuage your guilt, dude.
Jon
Carl Shuster wrote:
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/
========================================
To manage subscription,send email from the
subscription address to
imailsrv@xxxxxxxxxxx and in MESSAGE (1)
To unsubscribe from HAPS-L, put : unsubscribe HAPS-L,
(2)To subscribe from a different address, put : subscribe HAPS-L
your_full_name =======================================
|