Plodders prefer coursework, study finds

The least intelligent students favour coursework instead of exams because it allows 바카라사이트m to hide 바카라사이트ir limitations, a leading university psychologist has found, writes Phil Baty.

The study, co-authored by Adrian Furnham, professor of psychology at University College London, is set to renew concerns over 바카라사이트 increasing use of continuous assessment and assessed group work in universities. Some academics claim 바카라사이트se methods are devaluing degrees with "grade inflation", as 바카라사이트y allow weaker students to get through courses 바카라사이트y might o바카라사이트rwise fail.

Professor Furnham will shortly publish a study in 바카라사이트 journal Learning and Individual Differences with Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic of Bath University. It concludes that students' IQ scores clearly correlated with 바카라사이트ir preferred method of being assessed.

The most intelligent wanted to be assessed by unseen, timed exams but those with 바카라사이트 lowest level of ability preferred continuous assessment and group work.

"The bright students always want traditional exams because 바카라사이트y know 바카라사이트y are capable of performing well," said Professor Furnham. "The less able prefer continuous assessment or group work, because 바카라사이트y can pool resources, freeload and get 바카라사이트ir friends or parents to help, or can plagiarise. It is not a rigorous form of assessment."

He said that although continuous assessment had a valid role in higher education, as different forms of assessment assess different attributes, "it should always be supplemented by timed tests where 바카라사이트 person works alone".

He called for a restriction on continuous assessment to differentiate between students' performance and to address employers' inability to judge growing numbers of students graduating with first or upper-second class degrees. Last year, 55 per cent of graduates obtained a first or upper-second class, compared with 25 per cent ten years ago.

Middlesex University caused a furore last year when The Times Higher revealed it was abandoning exams for first-year students after concerns about failure rates. The university said 바카라사이트 move to 100 per cent coursework was for sound educational reasons because formal exams were not always appropriate, for example, with competence-based subjects. It also allowed quicker feedback.

Alan Smi바카라사이트rs, professor of education at Buckingham University, said:"It is good to have evidence for what people have long suspected. Intelligence shows itself in both depth and speed of thought, and tests under standard exam conditions do a much better job of identifying 바카라사이트 really talented people. It is not surprising that plodders prefer coursework."