11 years ago
Tuesday
Post Midterm Exam
So for those of you who came back to class after the exam, did staying and discussing the midterm helped to clarify questions that were "muddy" on the exam? Or did they further confuse you? I personally, when taking the exam, felt as if I was taking a test on something that I felt unprepared for. I think the first question threw me off for a number of reasons. One being that the whole subject of Manny Ramirez and steroids was subject to interpretation. While in class we did come to a final conclusion to the answer, I felt that that was what we had to do for most of the questions. While I feel fine and content after our exhaustive discussion of the questions on the exam, for the most part, and I don't think I'm alone on this, the questions asked on the exam were subject to interpretation and perhaps needed some refining. However, for the most part, when discussing these questions and explaining the possible answers to these questions, I feel more than confident that I have taken away important and central ideas/arguments that our three theorists brought forth in their work.
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6 comments:
I BELIEVE THE TEST WAS A BIT HARD.. I TRIED MY BEST AND HOPEFULLY I JUST PASS
I found it challenging, but fair for the most part. There were a couple that gave me "WTF" moments though. I wasn't able to stay, what was the answer for the one about what Durkheim would say about teens today?
Also, was the answer key posted yet? I haven't seen it up.
Staying in class after the test helped me a lot in clarifying a few doubts I had in mind. Overall I believe the test was fair. The grades are being curved for all, plus we had a couple freebies. :)
Overall I think it is always a bummer to take multiple choice exams. All of us are in the education system for various reasons. But, I feel if we are here and learning this material someone should hear what we have to say through our own voice and our own writing? Isn’t it more important for us to learn the material, interpret it, and apply it to life and applicable situations apposed to regurgitation or worse guessing? At first you always hear the fear that written exams are more difficult but if you really know the material, not just memorized the words, it is refreshing to actually have a voice, argue your point of view and shockingly retain the information you have gained. It is an unfortunate fact of the CSU system that we have to many students per professor. It makes education more like a factory (everyone with their #2 pencils) than student and professors seeking and sharing knowledge and education.
Breaks the teacher's heart from the other side, Anonymous. The class size can be ok - but if you have four of them that size it can become overwhelming. A TA helps, but then the TA may not always be the best person to assess papers. It's not easy. I try to write fair and interesting Scantrons and offer blogging and participation as a way to sway the course over towards a more invigorating and creative way to help solve the problem. But students don't "take to" blogs because they are not "required" or "clear" for them. There is a hesitancy to sing out with the young intellectual voices. So the "objectivity" of which Weber spoke weighs heavily on the other side - so many are "ok" with that and it (seems to) work. What does the word work mean?
Both MT and anonymous make good points, but I would also argue that MT does allow for students to use theory and apply it to contemporary real world situations through our papers. Both aspects of seeing if students understand what is being taught and if it is retained is followed through by students writing papers and through exam. Perhaps Anonymous your frustrations are misplaced. I wouldn't argue that it's the professor's fault for how things are being taught, but rather, the institution of the CSU that has created these deficiencies and passed down through the various agents of the institution. As Weber would point out, it's the bureaucracy and the workings of the bureaucracy that create this, not the professor.
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