openTEL is pleased to announce that September’s Assessment & Feedback Special Interest Group will be a presentation by Jan Kowal on why the unseen exam is unsuitable for demonstrating students’ achievement of learning outcomes.
Verdict on the unseen exam: “could do better”
Jan Kowal
Abstract: In this talk, it will be argued that the traditional two or three hour unseen exam is an unsuitable vehicle for demonstrating students’ achievement of learning outcomes. The exam has been designed for efficiently processing large numbers of people and assigning them a number; a number that does not always correlate well with, or fully describe, their learning achievements. The chief argument in support of the exam has been that it is the surest way of guaranteeing that the person who undertook the assessment is who we think they are. There are other solutions to this purely technical issue that are pedagogically far superior.
Bio: Jan Kowal is a Senior Lecturer in Engineering and Director of Teaching in the School of Engineering and Innovation. He has been at the OU for 17 years. He spent the previous two decades as a professional engineer, working in fields as diverse as electron optics, ultrasonics, and microelectromechanical systems technology.
We look forward to seeing you at 14:00 on 25th September in Ambient Lab, Jennie Lee.