Continuous examination
This is an example of a specific examination conducted at KTH. The course has been examined through several activities spread throughout the course to support the students' continuous learning. In addition to the example of continuous examination, it is discussed how the examination can be handled in relation to Ladok.
One examining activity per week
A course during one study period, with seven weeks of teaching and an adjacent exam period, has the following modules/activities per week:
- Course start
- Home assignment
- Home assignment
- Seminar
- Theory exam
- Lab (lectures repeat/deepen the theoretical aspect of the course)
- Peer feedback
- Exam period: Problem solving exam, proctored on campus.
The student’s continuous learning is supported by the course having compulsory examination activities evenly distributed in the course.
Course start week 1
During the first week, the focus is on presenting the layout of the course and initiating the course.
Home assignment week 2 and 3
During weeks two and three, students take one digital quiz each week. The quiz can be conducted at any location and is only open for one hour. Students get one try and are expected to study before the quiz as before a smaller exam. Each quiz consists of three multiple-choice questions on theory and three basic calculation questions with free text answers. The questions are picked randomly from two question banks, one for each question type. The quizzes are automatically assessed and the students receive the results immediately after completing the quiz. They see their own answer and the correct answer. If they answered correctly but in a different form than what the quiz question expected, there is a Zoom room open immediately after the quiz time is over where any ambiguities can be sorted out.
The reason why the examinations start early in the course is that the students should get started with working on the course as soon as possible. Since the quiz is early in the course, the level of the questions is adapted accordingly.
Seminar week 4
Week four has a seminar where students in smaller groups present a solution to a calculation question from the quiz. It is random which student is asked to present and which task is to be presented. However, students can only get assignments that they have gotten in their individual quiz. To pass the seminar, a student must be active. Different solution methods are discussed with the aim of deepening the students' knowledge.
Theory exam week 5
In week five, an exam is conducted with supervision by exam invigilators in a computer room on campus. The questions focus on the theory in the course and consist of mixed question types with free text answers that are randomly generated from a question bank. The students are divided into two different time slots so that the seats in the computer room will be enough. When the first group is finished, the second starts immediately after. The writing time is two hours and the students who have passed previous quizzes and seminars get one (if they miss one of the parts) or two fewer tasks to solve. The tasks are assessed manually and the students get their results in the same way as after a usual exam. The result is reported to Ladok and corresponds to 2.5 credits.
Lab week 6
A lab is carried out on campus in a laboratory hall. Each lab group writes a lab report that must be submitted no later than Monday evening week 7. The lab consists of 1 credit and the students must be approved for both the lab implementation and the report, and must have completed the peer feedback for passing the module.
Peer feedback week 7
Each lab group must provide feedback to another student group's report before Thursday of week 7. Finally, each lab group is given one day to make corrections and the final version of the report must be submitted no later than Saturday evening. The peer feedback must contain comments on the report's structure and theoretical content. Finally, the examiner assesses the reports and reports pass/fail in Ladok.
The teaching during week 7 focuses on problem-solving tasks to prepare for the final examination.
Problem solving exam during the exam week
During the exam week, students complete a three-hour proctored campus exam that focuses on problem-solving tasks. By having worked on the theory thoroughly in the early parts and then applying and testing it through labs, the students have a greater opportunity to reach a higher level of problem solving. The throughput of the course is perceived to have increased after the introduction of continuous examination. The final exam corresponds to 4 credits.
Continuous examination and Ladok
There are different ways to do continuous examination, and below are two common approaches. One gathers the assessment into a few modules to report to Ladok while the other reports many small modules to Ladok.
Few modules in Ladok
In some courses, you do weekly assignments that give bonus points to the exam so that only the exam is a Ladok activity. The examination can be seen as a continuous examination anyways, as long as the examination is divided into several activities so that it supports continouous learning.
Pros
- It is a way to get students to work on the course continuously without having to handle several Ladok activities.
- This shows that it is important to do the entire course within one course offering.
- It is possible for a student to complete the entire course by taking the exam and performing well, which makes it easier for the students who are re-taking the course.
Cons
- It makes all credits depend on a single occasion, the day of the final examination. Which is stressful and requires the student to have "a good day" that day.
Several modules in Ladok
In other courses, the Ladok activities have been divided so that there are several separate ones.
Pros
- A student receives credits as the course progresses.
- Each step is not worth as many credits, so the stress is lower.
Cons
- To pass the course, a student must present on many different occasions.
- Many students are tempted to save small parts for "later" and then it becomes difficult to finally finish. To do "the last" of the course, maybe just worth some credits, the student must repeat the entire course but without having set aside time and without receiving student finance for it.
