By: Martha Diede, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Syracuse UniversityAs
we come into finals week, keep in mind that you do not need to have a final exam if your students can demonstrate they have met your course outcomes in other ways. In fact, your students Rather than plan on large exams, consider smaller, low-stakes assessments for courses with an online component. These assessments give students the opportunity to demonstrate what they know and give faculty the opportunity to see where gaps are appearing in students’ knowledge and skill acquisition. Faculty might also consider assessments alternative to exams, particularly exams that derive their questions from test banks.
Students might be able to suggest other ways that they can show you that they have met the course outcomes. These suggestions might take advantage of new technologies or use existing technologies in new ways. However you construct your end-of-course assessments, be sure to include three clear parts: purpose (why?), task (what you want them to do) and criteria (what you will evaluate to determine whether the student passed or earned a specific letter grade).
Below are some possible ideas for assignments to replace a final traditional exam:
- A single slide, formatted like an academic poster, that summarizes the information from the course.
- A brief video in which students explain the course concepts.
- A brief video in which students use the course concepts/learning to suggest a solution to a contemporary problem.
- A concept map showing how the course content from the semester connects.
- A problem to solve that requires the use of knowledge and skills included in your course outcomes.
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