I am sure glad that I knew the answers to that quiz!
This is a private college, but over 50% of the students are first generation
college students. We are talking rural WV. So many scholarships and then
some upper-middle class kids. Good sports and music program.
I say helpful things like "know this" all through my lectures. I made up my
first exam from my lecture notes, which followed the text, and from
handouts. I had specified when giving out handouts, which were for
"enrichment" and which they would be held responsible for on exams. I made a
study guide outlining the concepts they should know and the people they
should know. Did this for 6 chapters. Matching, short answer, essay,
multiple choice. I had 4 students at that time. I had an A, B, C, and F on
that exam. They thought it was very hard. I talked with them about my
expectations and responsibilities as an instructor, about study skills,
things that had helped me. I also asked them how they studied, what has
worked for them in the past, how long they had studied, etc.
Well, I decided to change tactics, putting more responsibility on them, and
tried to do more discussion-type classes. But no one would say anything, and
then they would admit that they had not read the chapter! At least they are
honest.
Then I lost one student.
I tried an exam on only 2 chapters and used the test bank (the one I wrote
about) Study guide with concepts and studies they needed to know. Selected
TF, multiple choice, and some essay. None of them even attempted answering
all essay questions. Wrote nothing down.
So I will take all advise under advisement and start putting some of it to
practice tomorrow. I am going to take a closer look at the exam also. The
students did not take it on the computer, I just developed it there and
printed it out. Here I was so pleased with the time I had saved, compared to
the hours that it took me to develop the first one! I did not expect this to
be easy, but I do want them to learn. I saw too many students in my graduate
program that had a less-than-solid foundation in psychology. They did not
seem to understand that school takes discipline and committment. They would
actually complain to our professors that it was too hard or that the
assignments took too much time. It was embarrassing.
Molly Straight
