Open or closed book

I am considering an open book exam..... this does not make it is easier though I have some great questions in mind, requiring you to draw and... and...

I am even considering adding a pre-exam question, requesting you to draw up an exam question, which I mark as part of your exam . I select the best two or three, include them in the exam paper, then give 10 questions, of which you must answer any 8. If yours is included in the paper then you may not answer it. Just joking....

I was about to say... How very non science faculty of you

Then again, I can use a similar strategy in the exam. Whereas a case study is usually given and you have to apply, you can be asked to develop a case study yourself as motivation in presenting an answer. Mmmm.

Sounds difficult! But we'll have to practice and study smart! I like the idea.

BRING IT ON!!!!, I need to give this course a proper send off since its not longer part of PG next year

Please can the exam be a closed book exam? I really think that most students underestimate open book exams and I think we will all do worse if we have an open book exam. I am a high school educator and open book examinations are always a disaster. The learners are always really excited at the prospect and then are very disappointed in their results. I really need to pass this subject and believe that an open book exam will not help me (or the others) do well. Open book exams sound great but they just aren't. Please, please make it closed book.

An open book exam sounds like it could possibly reduce the work load so that we don't have to study all the fine details- we can just look it up during the exam... but on the other hand, having an open book exam could possibly fool you into thinking that you do not need to study as hard, when, in fact, having the book right next to you does not help you answer some questions (you have to have a full understanding of the work, not only know the facts): just take the assignments as a good example.

I think that a closed book exam would be better. When you have to study the work fully, you are prompted to understand every concept. Also, I think that accessing information for detailed questions from memory is quicker than paging through the book during the exam.

Please keep it closed. Lecturer tend to make the exams more difficult if it is a closed book. There is also a tendency of not giving us enough time and we find it difficult to finish the paper.

I hear you. However, the focus of an open book exam is on application. It just means that you think a bit more and write a bit less.

Ive written open book exams before in tertiary level and they can be just as challenging, if not, even more difficult than a closed book exam. Both are different in the way you are tested and both are "studied" for in a different way. I wouldn't mind either but I guess the decision should be made based on what the learning outcomes of the module is. Is it to give students the ability to think or to remember?

This is the point. Closed book is remember (but hopefully rather understand) and think. Point is, a programmer, for example, will not program without consulting a book (or Google) every now and then. We all do. We go back to the book, read up, and then apply.

I agree with you Mac
I think an open book exam would really be Good. In a real work environment it is always about application, that is the most important part, yes you do need to know the methodologies and frameworks, but you also need to know which methodology or technique you need to apply in different situations..

I'm not sure about the open exam as they tend not to give us enough time in the exam and we tend not to give our all when we prepare for the exams.

I personally do not like open book.
I find myself wanting to reference things in the exam, and sit paging through a book looking for some or other trivial paragraph....

I hear what Mac says about programmers, but I do not fully agree. My own field is mostly as DBA. So I understand the concept of, say, a covering index. What I look up is the particular syntax for creating an index on a specific DBMS. A good exam question is therefore explaining what a covering index is, and not asking the student to provide the Oracle syntax.

Have decided it is not going to be open book. The focus will be on linkage between methodologies, technique and toolsets i.e. the the A&F framework (the study notes I provided from student Craven you should complete). With one or two exceptions there are no in-depth questions requiring you to study at paragraph level. You should be able to provide a summary of all chapters i.e. Summarize a Part of the book for 50 marks. Get the level at which you need to study? Will confirm this in the exam letter, but it will not deviate much. I think it is a very fair paper that will reward the student who actually study a bit

Hi Mac,when are we getting exam letters? is it gonna be more on what to study for the exam?

It is available on myUnisa