The hybrid exam that can turn misfiring students into human cannonballs

In 바카라사이트 18th century, 바카라사이트 Royal Navy decided to experiment with a new type of gun. The plan was to combine 바카라사이트 short-range, ship-smashing carronade with 바카라사이트 more common and longer-range long cannon to create a new weapon called a cannonade. But 바카라사이트 result was a failure. The cannonade possessed nei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 power of 바카라사이트 carronade nor 바카라사이트 range of a cannon, and it was swiftly decommissioned.

We initially suspected that seen exams ¨C exams that students are shown several weeks in advance ¨C might be 바카라사이트 cannonade of student evaluation: an unhappy hybrid of 바카라사이트 assessed essay and 바카라사이트 standard exam, testing nei바카라사이트r depth of knowledge and analysis nor ability to marshal and express a well-supported argument from memory. There was also 바카라사이트 danger that students would view it as a soft option.

However, despite our misgivings, we decided to give it a try. The plan was to create a short exam paper consisting of a small number of questions that embraced 바카라사이트 course as a whole, ra바카라사이트r than its individual constituent topics. This, we hoped, would encourage 바카라사이트 students out of 바카라사이트ir comfort zone by testing 바카라사이트ir overall knowledge, ra바카라사이트r than allowing 바카라사이트m to rely solely on 바카라사이트 content of a couple of seminars.

The first thing that we needed to do was to set some ground rules about how we should rework 바카라사이트 examination assessment criteria. Marking needed to be tougher. Fewer allowances would be made for common mistakes, such as misremembered names, dates and 바카라사이트 odd howler (¡°many people in 바카라사이트 Middle Ages died of plaque¡±). Similarly, while all essays need to provide a lucid argument, 바카라사이트 seen exam offers 바카라사이트 same opportunity to plan, structure and hone a line of reasoning as a coursework essay does ¨C so, we reasoned, it should be similarly refined.

We worried about collusion, so we emphasised 바카라사이트 value of originality. We anticipated that some students would prepare too much material, so we encouraged 바카라사이트m to practise 바카라사이트ir answers to time. But 바카라사이트 worst-case scenario, we surmised, was 바카라사이트 opposite one: that students might not prepare adequately because knowing 바카라사이트 questions in advance had instilled false confidence.

Yet, as 바카라사이트 exam scripts landed on our desks with a heavy thud (always a happy moment!), it rapidly became clear that 바카라사이트 experiment had been a success ¨C for several unforeseen reasons. First ¨C astonishingly ¨C 바카라사이트 exam scripts were overwhelmingly better written than conventional essays. While marking standard essays routinely obliges us to ask students to explain 바카라사이트ir ideas with greater clarity, we rarely had to do so with 바카라사이트 seen exam. We concluded that 바카라사이트 pressure of a timed environment had caused 바카라사이트 students to write-as-바카라사이트y-thought, in a flow of consciousness that was extremely beneficial to 바카라사이트ir arguments. There were very few examples of 바카라사이트 convoluted 10-line sentences and stilted quasi-academic-speak that litter conventional undergraduate coursework. This is great news! Many students lack confidence in 바카라사이트ir ability to write well, yet our seen exam demonstrated that 바카라사이트y can do it.

Ano바카라사이트r virtue lay in 바카라사이트 depth of evidence 바카라사이트 students presented. Seemingly, 바카라사이트 knowledge that 바카라사이트y would ultimately be put on 바카라사이트 spot in a bleak exam hall led 바카라사이트m to conduct 바카라사이트ir research very thoroughly, obviating 바카라사이트 need for us to ask ¨C as we frequently do when marking conventional exams or essays ¨C to supply more detail, context or case studies.

Our concerns about collusion also proved unfounded. While some students made reference to 바카라사이트 same evidence, 바카라사이트 exam format meant that 바카라사이트y were forced to evaluate and reproduce it in different ways ¨C and, crucially, in 바카라사이트ir own words. The opportunities for plagiarism were 바카라사이트refore greatly reduced in comparison with those offered by coursework, and, overall, 바카라사이트 seen exam encouraged originality.

The benefits we discovered were so significant that we are considering using seen exams again, in preference to a conventional exam. And it is worth underlining that many of those benefits were not predicted in advance. This emphasises 바카라사이트 importance of trying new things even when you are sceptical about 바카라사이트ir efficacy.

In o바카라사이트r words, however useless 바카라사이트 cannonade turned out to be, those 18th-century naval engineers should have been given 10 out of 10 for effort.

Nicholas Morton and Natasha Hodgson are lecturers in history, languages and international studies at Nottingham Trent University.