| Dear Dr. Morton,
I am curious to know if you will be
adding my 'elephant' assignment mark towards my grades. I know that this
assignment was somehow lost and then emailed.
In my case, every mark counts;
especially after the final exam. I
received a 60% (67 after the increase), so I am also interested in the
possibility of writing the April 11th test.
Thank you for your attention to
these concerns.
Yours sincerely,
SJ
p.s. My favorite lectures were
'death as a motivational tool' and the 'negative ions' discussion.
I lost my grandmother and father on
Christmas Day '79 and '99, respectively. You can see why I relate very
strongly to the timing of your family losses. |
 |
| The "elephant" was found!
|
| |
I appreciate your feedback on those two lectures. It's interesting how
material with a great deal of emotion attached, or novelty, grabs our
attention, and our memory resources.
|
| Dr.
Morton:
I noticed that on your listing, I had one (1) question 'not answered'.
Is it possible to have you double check that - I was sure I answered
everything.
Thank you,
TM
- P.S. I enjoyed your "exam debriefing" . I think all
professors should do this. I also think we should have a chance to see the
exams mid terms and finals -this goes for all of our courses - this way we
can see WHAT we got wrong. Otherwise I don't feel that we really learn
from our mistakes. For instance, I know I got MOST answers correct - but
which ones. As for the ones I missed, I apparently still don't know the
information. Also as an end of year query, can you tell me why as student
teachers we are subject to all the testing procedures that we are told
never to use on our students, such as multiple choice tests worth over 40%
of the total course mark? - not your course but others. It hardly seems
(hate to use the term but it is applicable) fair.
Thank you for your time.
TM
|
Re missed
question-- you could
stop by and dig out your answer sheet to check it for a missed question.
I'm not sure if it would change your mark as you already have an A. You
also can view your incorrect answers then. (It could take an hour or so!)
Re Exam debriefing--Thanks
for the feedback. You do raise a couple of interesting questions /
concerns. Mind if I post your e-mail? Some others may find it
valuable, this year... and next year.
Re Multiple choice test
format--two comments
here. First, multiple choice formats can be used creatively. For example,
the group format is often viewed as a good learning experience. I had
students create many of the questions one year. That was interesting. Last
year, for one multiple choice test, I had one multiple choice question
(and all choices were correct), but students (in groups) had to write a
rationale for their choice. The quality of the rationale was the basis of
the mark. The problem was in the marking--very time-consuming, and very
subjective. This leads to my second comment. Last year, students had the
option of doing the final multiple choice test or an "authentic"
assessment alternative. Given the number of people who opted for the
authentic assessment alternative there were major problems in getting them
marked by the deadlines so that grades could be forwarded to Toronto. The
multiple choice format allows for quick marking which is required at the
end of the year.
Re feedback on mistakes--You
can view your mistakes, but there is a reluctance to let the questions and
answers out into the public domain. Many of these questions are developed
professionally (as part of a centralized data base) and used by other
professors at this university and other universities. If they get into the
public domain they may lose their validity. Granted, this is less of a
learning experience, than an assessment opportunity.
Have a good summer. (Maybe I'll see you in Grad School.) |
| I don't
mind if you post my e-mail. Thank you for your reply. I appreciate that.
Grad School...Well this is still a possibility I'm toying with.
Have a good summer. P.S. re: some of your other comments in your reply
- I almost got
the feeling all year that we (the students) were a psychology experiment,
now I'm convinced we were.
TM |
|
|
| Not an
experiment, but every experience can be used as a learning experience for
teachers and students. |
|
