On 02/08/12 11:44, Bryan Jones wrote:
> Assessors should not be making such specific recommendations for
> exams,
I do find in general that exams are the part of the DSA report which are
least 'wanted as written' by the students (even when I'm sure the
assessor has tried to get them to confirm they're OK or not with it).
Some of this is because the student doesn't know what there is before
they arrive or what will work for them and some is having had time to
consider it. With many first years I'll set a date in January to decide
what exam arrangements they want after they've had a chance to study a
while. I also remind them first year exams aren't carried into final
degree so we can make changes up or down.
Several of our schools also struggle with the numbers of departmental
sits which is not just students needing a room alone but combinations of
arrangements which our central team can't accommodate.
I always discuss exam arrangements with the student and if it says
separate room I'll try and explore why they're asking for that so I can
see if any of our other options are more suitable. It helps that I can
honestly advise the student that centrally managed alternative exam
arrangements are much more consistently well implemented than
departmental stuff which can be (unavoidably) variable from background
noise, information provision or even the occasiona shoddy invigilator.
Most students are happy with a smaller venue than the main hall so the
extra time or rest breaks venue. Some would be OK in department with a
handful of other students. It's comparatively rare that a student needs
a room totally alone.
There is also discussion of reducing the amount of "assessment by exams"
overall because it's increasingly being seen as old fashioned and only
assessing certain things.
Natalya
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