My approach is different still. I believe I got this idea from
somebody on TIPS 5 or 6 years ago.
I tell my students that they need to show me that they have learned
the material. They can do it as we go along, or they can do it at
the end of the semester.
I give 4 unit exams (50 points each) and an optional comprehensive
final (200 points) that is divided into 4 sections (qtns 1-25
correspond to the first exam -- different questions, same material,
qtns 26-50 correspond to the second exam, and so on).
If the students take all 4 unit exams and are happy with those
scores, they have no need for the final.
If a student isn't happy with their combined exam scores, they can
take the final. A higher grade on the entire final replaces all 4
exam scores.
If a student misses an exam, they need to take the section of the
final that covers that exam. For instance, missing the 3rd exam
means they need to answer questions 51-75 on the final. The score on
that section (say, 20 out of 25) is doubled (to 40 out of 50), and
that's the number that goes in the student's empty "Exam 3" box. A
student can miss as many exams as they would like for whatever
reason; all exams are made up by taking the final.
If a student scores poorly on ~one~ exam, they can treat it as a
missed exam. For instance, if they did lousy on exam 1, then the day
of the final, they hand me a slip of paper that says they are
retaking exam 1. They answer qtns 1-25, just as if it were a missed
exam. If this second score is higher than the first, this score
replaces their exam 1 score.
If a student scores poorly on more than one exam, they need to take
the entire final.
All of these can be combined, too. Let's say a student misses exam
1, scores poorly on exam 2, and does mediocre on exams 3 or 4.
Exam 1: ____
Exam 2: 20/50
Exam 3: 34/50
Exam 4: 36/50
The student answers all 100 questions on the final, stating a retake
on exam 2.
I'll look at qtns 1-25, and double that score for exam 1.
I'll look at qtns 26-50, and double that score for exam 2. If it's
higher, it will replace the old exam 2 score.
And after doing those, I'll look at the total final score and
compare it to the total unit exam score. If the final is higher, all
previous scores are replaced.
For more information, see
http://alamo.nmsu.edu/~frantz/syllabi/201spec.htm#EXAMS
and the following section called "Retesting".
Mark Eastman wrote:
> I was intrigued with a discussion a few weeks ago regarding whether or not
> to drop the lowest scoring exam of a student's battery of exams. Someone on
> the list suggested replacing the first exam with the average of the
> remaining exams. I would like more information on the pro and cons of this
> approach.....from someone who has tried it. Philosophically I don't like
> the idea of dropping the lowest exam, but I do like the motivational
> benefits from having students try much harder on the remaining exams in
> order to replace the low scoring first exam. This policy would be announced
> after students have taken the first exam.
>
> Mark Eastman
> Diablo Valley College
> Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
--
Sue Frantz [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Assistant Professor of Psychology Office: (505) 439-3731
New Mexico State Univ - Alamogordo Fax: (505) 439-3802
Alamogordo, NM 88310 http://alamo.nmsu.edu/~frantz
