The Summative assessment of Mathematics: the closed book exam and some alternatives
Paola Iannone (University of Edinburgh)
Tuesday 16th May, 2023 14:00-15:00 Maths 311B
Abstract
Assessment of mathematics at university is often given for granted: much effort goes in designing meaningful exam questions which are fair, for which marking can be highly reliable and that test the competencies we value (or at least which we think assess the competencies we value). Not much thinking however is devoted to find out whether the closed book exam is the only (or the best) way to assess mathematics and what are the consequences of the exams we set on students’ understanding of what is mathematics and their engagement with the subject. The pandemic changed all this to some extent forcing academics to think about assessment methods and what to do when the closed book exam is no longer an option. In this talk I will first give an overview of assessment of mathematics in the autumn 2019 in the UK. I will then present some of my research on assessment by focusing predominantly on the surprising impact that types of assessment have on students’ engagement with mathematics. I will then discuss other assessment methods and conclude with some reflection on the link between assessment and teaching.
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