Making It Real, With A Side Of Brisket

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Making It Real, With A Side Of Brisket: A guide to implementing alternative approaches to Final Exams

By Tim Whiting

Does one size fit all? This is a concept that is constantly questioned regarding instruction in higher education. We can take this concept one step further and look at how your course is preparing your students. Is the final exam for your college-level course designed to "fit all? Should it?

The Setting

Let me take you back to my favorite final exam. I realize that not many people have a “favorite final exam,” but I do. It was my last undergraduate class at Baylor University. Five students and one professor. We were all education majors and most of us were involved in student teaching—the class: Young Adult Literature. We read forty books and had, in essence, a book club. For the final, the professor, who had been an experienced K-12 educator, had us pick a book that we had read that was related to the subject matter we would teach. We would defend our decision to teach that specific book to a “school board.” We were to come to class on the day of the final, dressed professionally, and present it to the mock school board made up of the other students.

Now, the reason it may have been my favorite final exam was her game-time decision. She told us the day before “I have some brisket at the house. Why don’t y’all come over, bring the sides, and we do it then?” I vividly remember sitting around the dining room table, brisket in one hand, potato salad in the other, and hearing her say, “Tim, you’re first.”

As I reflect as an educator, I now realize why this was an effective final exam. First, she looked at her students. She knew that all her students were future teachers and would most likely be in a typical K-12 setting. She looked at the content. Young adult literature, some of which would be objected to by either parents or the community. She then connected her students (education majors) and the content (young adult literature) and linked it to what they would have to do in their future careers. In the real world, her students would not have to complete a 100-question multiple-choice exam based on the books. Her students would not be best served by writing reviews that compared several of the books to each other. She determined that, in their future day-to-day operation, her students would need to know how to defend their decisions, and she created a method to assess her students. They would need to stand before a group of dissenters and justify their actions. The brisket was just an added bonus.

Traditionally, we were taught to see the final exam as the end of the road. Maybe even a destination. We travel with the instructor, and they impart their wealth of knowledge to us. To pass through the gate at the end of the road, we must answer 100 multiple-choice questions or maybe write a response to a high-level academic question related to the title of the course. We open the door with the imaginary key, and, depending on the course and its relevance to our future endeavors, we see either a new road or a brick wall. What if we turn the analogy around? What if, instead of a brick wall, your students see a bridge? That bridge connects their journey in your course, no matter the content, to their destination. That bridge makes the content in your course applicable to what they are doing in their future career.

This article will explore the idea that the final exam can be the bridge. We will examine the idea of implementing an alternative approach to the final exam and the initial steps of doing so. So, let's build a bridge.

The Why

We will start with the mindset and your perspective of the course. Traditionally, courses are created with a deficit-based approach. This focuses on “the perceived weaknesses of individuals or groups, such that the individuals or groups become viewed as “the problem” (Artze-Vega, Delgado 2019). As instructors, we enter the situation with the idea that the student either does not know the content or what they know is incorrect. Due to this assumption, this can, “demotivate students and may not inspire lifelong or independent learning” (Branova, 2023). It becomes a task to check off as they complete coursework for their program. Therefore, are they genuinely learning the material and applying it in a situation that will allow them to take it to the next level?

So, what’s the alternative? There has been a movement toward an asset-based approach. Since it is concentrated on student strengths and what the student contributes, the asset-based approach “works to create lifelong learners and learners that are grounded in their education and knowledge and, thus, are more confident in further developing themselves” (Branova, 2023). They are taking knowledge, ideas, tasks, and skills that they already know and are confident in and building new knowledge, ideas, tasks, and skills. Instead of asking them to build a house from the ground up, you are asking them to take an already solid foundation and add to it.

There is research and approaches that will assist you in developing the asset-based approach in your course. That is not the intention of this article. Rather, we are introducing this idea to create an atmosphere within your course that allows for a different approach to the final exam. By setting an environment that exemplifies the strengths that a student already possesses, we can provide an opportunity for them to apply those strengths in a realistic setting.

The How

As we move into how to apply the asset-based approach to your final exam, we will review your final exam. For this exercise, take a course that you currently teach. As you practice this, you can move this exercise into the beginning tasks when developing a new course. And with that, review these five questions:

First, what are the goals/objectives of your course? You have already developed your course, and no matter what you call it, you have goals or objectives that you strive to reach with your students. Review those. What is it you want your students to leave with? Then, ask yourself “why?” Once you get that answer, ask yourself “why?” again. Do this until you get one overarching idea.

Let’s say that we are working on a Fundamentals of American History course in which our overall goal is for students to express their understanding of American history (be it geography, politics, society, culture, economics, ideas, and beliefs).

Why is this important? They are able to process the effects of others' decisions and actions.
Why is that important? It develops them as well-informed citizens.
Why is that important? They will be the ones making the decisions.
Why is that important? No matter what they do professionally and in their career, their decisions affect others and affect our society.

We took the general objectives of the course, summarized them, and determined how they apply to your students directly. Unfortunately, students often do not know or understand why they are taking your course. Understanding this makes it more relevant for them.

Now, what does your current final exam (or the ones you have used before) look like? Is it an objective-based exam with “x” number of multiple-choice questions? Is it a series of essay questions? Is it “product-based,” where students apply their knowledge to create an outcome? Is it a combination? Look at the exam as a whole. Was it designed with logistics in mind, to “check the box” and fit into the allotted time that the university required? Or does it move up the ladder of Bloom’s Taxonomy? The approach to creating a final exam should not be what is easiest for the person creating it. Yes, we can all download a test bank from the publisher, and have it randomized the questions that it spits out. To best benefit the student, they should be able to take the knowledge they have gained from the course and apply it, analyze it, evaluate it, and ultimately create with it. Does your current exam do that?

Disclaimer: Please understand that although I might not paint the most positive picture of multiple choice and “high stakes” exams, they can have their place, and they also can be effective in an asset-based approach. The key is to keep the questions at a higher level of thinking and then create and evaluate the level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. When evaluating a multiple-choice question, is it simply a recall question, or is it challenging the student to solve a problem and remedy a situation?

Next, what do you want to assess through your final exam? You looked at the outcome of your course in the first question. Now, connect it to your final exam. What do you want the outcome of your exam to be? Your final exam should take what your students learned throughout the course and take it up a notch on Bloom’s Taxonomy. It should allow the student to apply their knowledge, analyze what they have learned, evaluate the effectiveness of a situation, and/or create a product based on what they have learned. With that in mind, what do you want your students to leave with, and is it connected to your goal with the final exam?

From here, you ask, does your final exam tie your objectives together? It’s in the name… “final” exam. The idea is that it should hit all your objectives in some way, shape, and form. If it does not connect your objectives with a cute little bow, then it is time to either evaluate your exam or revisit your objectives. Ensure that your objectives are at a high level of thinking and encompass all your course intends to do.

Finally (and my favorite part), does the final exam have a real-world connection? When was the last time you heard an employer tell an employee, “Thank you for coming in today. Please take out a #2 pencil and answer questions 1-50. Make sure you bubble in your answer completely.”? That would not be the job for me. When I first started my career in education, I taught history and government. The response I would receive was, “I hated my history classes because I can’t remember dates.” I took it on as my mission to ensure that students left with critical thinking skills, not based on the knowledge of dates. Connect each of the previous four questions and ask, “Will my students, no matter the content I teach and their career, take what they learned here and somehow use it in a real-world context?” Your final exam, no matter the format, should assess that.

The What

You have determined your approach, examined the goals and objectives of your course, and evaluated your current final exam. What’s the next step? It’s time to determine what approach you will offer. As you think about that, consider what you want them to do, how you want them to do it, and in what context (T&L website,2023). Again, you’re focusing on the long-term benefits for the student, not just checking off a box. Once you determine that, you can then look at the method. Review this sampling of potential options compiled from various universities that take the final exam beyond a 100-question multiple-choice exam. This is not an exhaustive list, as each can be built upon depending on the content. Knowing your students, their experiences, and their path will assist you in determining the most beneficial method for assessment.

The Hook

There is one final consideration when determining what method to assess with the final exam. When considering your students and still using an asset-based approach, consider your students’ strengths. Even with an alternative approach, is it best for a student to be pigeonholed into a specific method, even if it is an “alternative approach”? What if a student had a choice in what method to use to prove that they have mastered the content and can create with the content? Although this concept, known as “assignment menus,” is an evolving practice in K-12 education, it can also benefit students in higher education. “When students are given the choice to engage in tasks that interest them, they are more likely to be intrinsically motivated to learn. Intrinsic motivation is associated with higher levels of engagement and a deeper understanding of content material” (Poulos, 2024). Since the final exam is still an opportunity to learn through the higher level of Bloom’s Taxonomy, imagine the power of choice.

I can hear it now. “I must create 30 different rubrics? Grading is going to take more time!” The rubric does not have to change when the method of delivery changes. The grading is based on the understanding and application of the concepts and content, not on how well one arranges a PowerPoint presentation. By providing alternative, real-world applicable methods to assessment, allowing for student choice, and grading based on content, you are providing students an opportunity to use their strengths and apply the content you have taught.

The Wrap Up

If creating your final exam was easy, then was it effective? Sometimes, doing what is best for students is not always the easiest approach for the instructor. Creating an atmosphere where students can challenge themselves and learn from their experience is best. Allowing students to use their strengths to master new content and skills is best. Providing opportunities for students to apply what they have learned to their real world is best. As instructors and educators in higher education, our job is to prepare our students for their next steps. What better way to set your students up for success than to give them the tools and the practice they need? One way to do that is through your final exam. And a side of the brisket doesn’t hurt.

References

Artze-Vega, I., & Delgado, P. E. (2019). Supporting faculty in culturally responsive online teaching. In Advances in educational technologies and instructional design book series (pp. 22–40). https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7802-4.ch002

Branova, S. (2023, December 12). The Asset Model: An Approach to Teaching and Education | ASM.org. ASM.org. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://asm.org/articles/2023/december/the-asset-model-an-approach-to-teaching-and-educat#:~:text=The%20deficit%20model%20often%20assumes,inspire%20lifelong%20or%20independent%20learning.

Alternatives to exams | T&L website. (n.d.). https://teachingandlearning.knowledgeowl.com/docs/alternatives-to-exams

Poulos, M. (2024, April 4). Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Harnessing assignment menus for student choice in learning. Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning. https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/course-design-ideas/beyond-one-size-fits-all-harnessing-assignment-menus-for-student-choice-in-learning/

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