2008 Woodie Awards
Students not only ones stressed during finals
By Alyssa McCormick
Issue date: 4/27/07 Section: Focus
All good things must come to an end. Another end to a semester and school year-both of whose ends are rapidly approaching-are bringing with them a little something known as finals week.
Although college students' feelings about finals often include wanting to pull their hair out and run screaming from campus, how do the professors feel about this week? After all, they're the ones who often have to grade the finals.
According to Jace Condravy, an English professor, students are not the only ones who have to put in extra hours during finals week. She said professors also find themselves working harder to get everything accomplished.
"Finals week is more hectic for me because my workload from both students and university committees tends to increase as final papers and projects and reports are likely to be due during that week," Condravy said.
She said some professors, including herself, find that giving projects and papers are a better way to assess everything the students have learned throughout the semester than actual final exams.
"I do not give my students a final," Condravy said. "Instead, they are presenting projects that draw upon what they have learned all semester plus some additional individual research. Final projects are important assessments which should be demonstrating to both professors and students if the learning outcomes of the course have been met."
Some professors also find that giving writing assignments and projects work better than finals because of the content of the course.
"I don't give a final exam in College Writing II, because writing classes are primarily about process and product, rather than easily testable knowledge and skills," English instructor Stephan Schaffrath said. "You still need knowledge and skill to produce a product, but that process takes much longer than two hours. The final draft of the critical research paper that my students write serves the purpose of a take-home final exam."
Although college students' feelings about finals often include wanting to pull their hair out and run screaming from campus, how do the professors feel about this week? After all, they're the ones who often have to grade the finals.
According to Jace Condravy, an English professor, students are not the only ones who have to put in extra hours during finals week. She said professors also find themselves working harder to get everything accomplished.
"Finals week is more hectic for me because my workload from both students and university committees tends to increase as final papers and projects and reports are likely to be due during that week," Condravy said.
She said some professors, including herself, find that giving projects and papers are a better way to assess everything the students have learned throughout the semester than actual final exams.
"I do not give my students a final," Condravy said. "Instead, they are presenting projects that draw upon what they have learned all semester plus some additional individual research. Final projects are important assessments which should be demonstrating to both professors and students if the learning outcomes of the course have been met."
Some professors also find that giving writing assignments and projects work better than finals because of the content of the course.
"I don't give a final exam in College Writing II, because writing classes are primarily about process and product, rather than easily testable knowledge and skills," English instructor Stephan Schaffrath said. "You still need knowledge and skill to produce a product, but that process takes much longer than two hours. The final draft of the critical research paper that my students write serves the purpose of a take-home final exam."
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