Exams and Assignments

 

 

Do you mind if my homework isn’t stapled or if I hand in electronic assignments on paper?

 

I do not mind. You, however, do. If your loose pages get mixed in with other students’ assignments, you may not get full credit.

 

 

Will this be on the test? What material is covered on the exam?

 

If I mention it in class, it appears in an assigned reading, it appears in a homework assignment, it is something that you should have learned in a pre-requisite course, or it is something that a reasonably well-educated person your age should know, then it is fair game for the test.

 

 

How should I study for the exam?

 

Turn off the stereo, TV, cell phone, and log off IM and email. If you must listen to music, select something without lyrics. Go somewhere where you will not be interrupted by roommates, significant others, etc. Rewrite and then study your rewritten class notes. Go over assigned problem sets. Go over end-of-chapter problem sets that were not assigned. Read the text. Read the text again.

 

 

I missed an exam, can I make it up?

 

No. If you received prior approval (from me) to miss the exam, or the reason for your missing the exam precluded prior approval, then I will adjust the weights of your other exams, homework, and participation such that the missed exam does not factor into your grade. If you missed the exam without prior approval (when you could have obtained prior approval), or you could not obtain prior approval but never bothered to explain to me why you missed the exam, then you receive a zero for the exam. The responsibility for follow-up is yours, not mine.

 

 

I’m not a good test taker.

 

Not being a good test taker is incompatible with being a successful student. Either get good at test taking or reconsider whether an academic education is appropriate for you.

 

 

I understand the material, I just can’t answer the exam questions.

 

No, if you can’t answer the exam questions, then you do not understand the material. There are three levels of cognition, only the highest of which is understanding. They are:

 

Recognition (being able to identify a fact)

Knowledge (being able to repeat a fact)

Understanding (being able to apply a fact in an unfamiliar context)

 

Reading over your notes and the text will gain you recognition. Memorizing key points will gain you knowledge. Going over problem sets — both assigned and not assigned — and tying the problems back into the readings and notes will contribute to understanding. In most circumstances, the student who does not achieve understanding will not earn better than a C, while the student who does not achieve knowledge will not pass.

 

 

Why do your multiple choice questions always include “None of the above?”

 

In life, problems do not come with multiple choice options. While several solutions may present themselves, there is always the possibility that the correct solution will be something that you had never considered. I would be remiss in my duty to prepare you to apply critical thinking skills to real-world problems if I did not force you to face the possibility that the correct answer might be something other than the options laid before you.

 

 

On exams, why do you deduct a fraction of a point for each incorrect answer?

 

If you face N multiple-choice options, then you lose an additional 1/(N-1) of a point for each incorrect answer. The reason for this is to eliminate a grading bias that occurs in multiple choice tests. It is unfair not to grade in this manner (you may not like this grading style, but disliking it does not make it unfair). Here’s why...

 

Suppose there are three students: A, B, and C. Student A studied well for the exam and can answer every question correctly. Student B studied a little for the exam and can answer only half of the questions. Student C did not study at all and cannot answer any of the questions. The students are given a 10 question multiple choice exam. Each question has 5 possible answers. This means that there is a 20% chance that a student can pick the correct answer simply by guessing. Student A will answer all the questions correctly and earn 100%. Student B will answer the first five questions correctly and will guess on the second five questions. Because there is a 20% chance of guessing correctly, we expect that student B will accidentally answer one of the five questions correctly. Student B will end up with a 60% on the exam. Student C will guess on all 10 of the questions. Because there is a 20% chance of guessing correctly, we expect that student C will accidentally answer two of the ten questions correctly. Student C will end up with a 20% on the exam.

 

                         Grade Student Deserves       SAT-Style Grade       Straight Percentage Grade      

Student A                        100%                               100%                                100%

Student B                          50%                                 50%                                 60%

Student C                           0%                                   0%                                  20%

 

Notice that the straight percentage grade curves Student A’s grade by nothing, Student B’s grade by 10% and Student C’s grade by 20%. The straight percentage grade is unjust because it awards grades that do not match the grades that the students deserve.

 

 

I still don’t understand how you grade exams.

 

(1) Start with zero points. (2) Add 1 point for each correct answer. (3) Subtract 1/4 point for each incorrect answer (not counting unanswered questions). (4) Divide the total points by the number of questions on the exam (not the number of questions you answered).

 

 

Continuing with the previous question, should I guess on exams?

 

On average, pure guessing will neither help nor hurt you. Educated guessing, however, can help you. If you can eliminate one or more of the options and then guess from among the remaining options, then, on average, you are better off guessing than not. Rarely in life will you face problems that you can answer with absolute certainty. More often, you will need to apply knowledge and critical thinking to the extent that you can and then make an educated guess. In general, the student who knows less but is good at making educated guesses is better prepared for life than the student who knows more but is helpless when faced with a problem whose solution is beyond the student’s knowledge.

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