Hi everyone: My finals for lower level courses are not cumulative, but just another exam. For some of my upper level courses my finals are cumulative and require students to write essays that integrate the general themes or principles that we have covered throughout the semester. I am less interested in students being able to regurgitate small details or isolated facts, but want them to be able to understand, integrate, and articulate the underlying philosophies and principles of the course. For example, the final exam for my Human Growth and Development course might contain a question that requires students to write an essay on the issue of nature vs. nurture or contrast an epigenetic systems perspective with a sociocultural perspective throughout the lifespan. In my Theories of Counseling course, a final exam might contain an essay question contrasting how each different theoretical perspective views abnormality or views transference or addresses the issue of free will. I might also ask them to analyze a case study from different perspectives. I usually give my students some advance warning on the types of questions that I will ask on the final. This way they don't wrack their brains trying to remember small details which they'll forget after the exam, but will hopefully be able to retain broad ideas and principles. I also agree with Tasha that most of my students will forget the facts of the course, but will hopefully learn skills for communication, problem-solving, analytical thinking, and lifelong learning.
Have fun grading! Rod ______________________________________________ Roderick D. Hetzel, Ph.D. Department of Psychology LeTourneau University Post Office Box 7001 2100 South Mobberly Avenue Longview, Texas 75607-7001 Office: Heath-Hardwick Hall 115 Phone: 903-233-3312 Fax: 903-233-3246 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage: http://www.letu.edu/people/rodhetzel -----Original Message----- From: tasha howe [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Friday, December 07, 2001 7:55 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences Subject: cumulative finals i don't give cumulative finals because there is way too much material to cover in classes like intro. psych. there are implicit ideas that are cumulative, such as the diathesis-stress approach, behavior modification, the effects of stress, etc. where they need to carry forth important ideas throughout and show that knowlege on critical thinking exam questions. however, i feel that the material we teach is not that vitally important in the long run. how many facts do you remember from college? probably not many. what i hope they keep for the long term is critical thinking, knowing how to solve problems and look for answers themselves, and exhibiting good oral and written communication skills. of course for the semester they are in my course, they need to know the facts, but other assignments such as integrative papers and homework assignments capture their cumulative knowledge well. with 3 other courses for which they have to study during finals week, i don't feel the need to make them agonize over a review of all the specific facts from the entire course. my finals are just another unit test. -- *********** Tasha R. Howe, Ph.D Assistant Professor of Psychology (Developmental) Transylvania University 300 N. Broadway Lexington, KY 40508 Phone: (859) 233-8144 FAX: (859) 281-3507 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website: http://www.transy.edu/homepages/thowe/ftpdpages/index2.html Another website I created: http://www.scbwi-midsouth.com/ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
