Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3

I am writing as my students take their first exam. Out of five exams, I drop the lowest grade in this class; I make sure to remind students of this policy before they begin. Some exclaimed that I'd probably be dropping this exam for many students because they didn't know what they were getting themselves into. We can ll relate to the jitters that accompany the first exam in any class. It isn't until after the first exam that you learn the assessment style of that particular instructor.

I'm looking through the exam just now and realized that I left two answers from the answer key on the exam. So the grades will definitely be inflated.

This is my first time giving an exam in class since starting at VSU. Before this semester I opted to give online tests, but decided to switch it up this semester and compare the results. I had forgotten all the details that go into a traditional paper and pencil test... Test anxiety as the first test comes around, scantrons, accommodations, make-ups, cheating and the no-shows.

I don't like to anticipate cheating, especially when teaching future educators. I want to think the best of them, but I'll be darned if I didn't just see a student reading off her Apple watch during the test. Could she really have notes or the study guide right there? Maybe using the email app? I believe that most cheating originates from the immense pressure students feel to do well. Test anxiety was originally described as a result of dividing one's attention between the test and self-relevant thoughts, basically being self-conscious instead of just taking the test. In a classroom setting, the potential for distractions and those self-conscious thoughts is magnified. I suppose that when the test is online, the student has more control over the environment and can limit distractions in order to focus on the exam fully. What is your preference? Do you like to take exams online or in person? If you teach, which method do you prefer?

Comments

Help with Homework - a Southside Library Success!

In case you have been following what my EDUC 2130 students have been doing at the Southside Library , here is another update . Last week was the last time the preservice teachers met with the K-12 students at the Southside Library. On the very last day, families and volunteers celebrated with food donated from a local Chick-fil-a and custom certificates for each participants. Over 100 kiddos were tutored in the 20 sessions at this semester with over 80 tutors volunteering as part of their field experience. Now I am reading all of the VSU students' reflections about their experiences. Every single student has admitted to having a positive experience. They noticed things about their own learning and the learning of the kiddos they helped. They noticed social processes and peer relationships forming. They also noticed the impact of socioeconomic status, food scarcity, and relative poverty in the Valdosta community. I think it is really telling that every student, faculty, staff, ...

Donuts and Intuitive Eating

On my commute to work each day, I pass by not one but two donut shops. I'm not talking about Krispy Kreme or Dunkin. These are two distinctly homemade donut shops - one in Thomasville, called Nanee's Donut Hole and the other in Valdosta, called Dixie Cream Donut Shop . Each morning I have to fight the urge to stop in and buy a donut, not once but twice on my way into work. Often I think that if I stop in and buy a box of donuts for my students that it is in some way more altruistic and maybe that will pardon the unhealthy decision. The truth is that many of my students don't eat sweets. It seems that college students are a lot more health conscious than they used to be. Whereas, I remember eating just about anything that was free on campus as a student, some of my students routinely decline the free pop tarts the BCM (Baptist Campus Ministry) hands out every Wednesday. But I digress... Back to the donuts... Nanee's has a few specialities that can't go unm...

Orientation at Southside

Being a professor can often be rewarding. This isn't to say that the salary is high or that the thank you notes pile up every day. It's all about the small victories and the change overtime. This past week I have had both! The small victory included a student coming into my office and exclaiming that they changed their major to education! This is the same student that had come in earlier in the semester having trouble applying educational psychology to her field. Instead, she just changed her field to education... More importantly, this week I have gotten to be apart of some change overtime. Over the past few months I have made it a mission to connect with the Valdosta community. This involved volunteering for the attendance matters campaign at Maceo Horne Learning Center (the alternative school in town), participating in Family Fun Night with my counselor education students at Pinevale Elementary, and working with Valdosta City Schools on their social emotional learning init...

Dr. Arrastía-Chisholm: Professor Mom

Search This Blog