Perceptions of BA without hons?

bestpud

Errata wrote: »

Exams test a student's ability to think quick and think correct. Something they'll need in the big, bad world of employment. Banking excepted, where apparently all you need is to be a good guesser.

:rotfl: Or know how to change one letter of your job title?

I think a combination of assessment methods is probably best overall. I'm sure there are people who just cannot cope with exams but are fine in the workplace.

I guess the school leaver students (there must be a better way of putting that but I am tired and can't think of one) have only ever known a modular education system and would struggle far more with a traditional approach because of that?

Errata

I doubt people who can't cope with the challenge of exams would easily cope with a boss putting them on the spot, expecting an instant and correct answer to their questions. Maybe the exam element of a degree tests calibre - on the spot sticking up for your arguement with supporting evidence?

bestpud

Errata wrote: »

I doubt people who can't cope with the challenge of exams would easily cope with a boss putting them on the spot, expecting an instant and correct answer to their questions. Maybe the exam element of a degree tests calibre - on the spot sticking up for your arguement with supporting evidence?

I don't know if I'm honest.

I can see your point but some people do just have an issue with exams.

I think they definitely have their place, but I feel a more rounded and accurate picture may be obtained from a mixture of assessment methods. Students would still need the skills you describe whether they sat one exam, or twenty.

They have shown no ability to prepare and/or deliver a presentation, or work in a group while under pressure, for example, and those may be equally useful skills in the workplace?

Errata

They have shown no ability to prepare and/or deliver a presentation, or work in a group while under pressure, for example, and those may be equally useful skills in the workplace?

I can only speak from my own experience - I had to do all that ^ during the course of each year.

bestpud

Errata wrote: »

I can only speak from my own experience - I had to do all that ^ during the course of each year.

I would hope every HE student does it during their course, but were you graded on it?

How much did it affect your final classification?

Oldernotwiser

Errata wrote: »

I doubt people who can't cope with the challenge of exams would easily cope with a boss putting them on the spot, expecting an instant and correct answer to their questions. Maybe the exam element of a degree tests calibre - on the spot sticking up for your arguement with supporting evidence?

And it stops the little b uggers cheating!

omelette451

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I hadn't realised the old ways were still with us. Would you mind my asking where this was?

Of course not... It was at Oxford. 'Old ways' is a bit of an understatement really: their 'modern' idea of relieving exam stress (in my subject at least) was to reduce it from twelve exams over three weeks to ten in two weeks! :rotfl:

There was an option to do one coursework-examined paper, but it wasn't available for any of the ones I chose. An extended essay/dissertation is an optional extra, and if done well will replace the mark for the weakest exam, but as you don't get out of doing the exam because of it not many people actually bother.

I *believe* there are other universities with similar arrangements in certain subjects, but I can't remember them off the top of my head.

Oldernotwiser

omelette451 wrote: »

Of course not... It was at Oxford. 'Old ways' is a bit of an understatement really: their 'modern' idea of relieving exam stress (in my subject at least) was to reduce it from twelve exams over three weeks to ten in two weeks! :rotfl:

There was an option to do one coursework-examined paper, but it wasn't available for any of the ones I chose. An extended essay/dissertation is an optional extra, and if done well will replace the mark for the weakest exam, but as you don't get out of doing the exam because of it not many people actually bother.

I *believe* there are other universities with similar arrangements in certain subjects, but I can't remember them off the top of my head.

Thanks for your answer; thank goodness for Oxbridge as a bulwark against the Philistines!

Nickynoo1

Thanks to this thread, I finished my 2 essays that need to be handed in tomorrow. Not quite a dissertation, I'm only a first year student. But just wanted to mention that it was this thread that got me to finish them

Thanks all

Nickynoo1

Oldernotwiser

bestpud wrote: »

I would hope every HE student does it during their course, but were you graded on it?

How much did it affect your final classification?

I'm interested as to why you think that group work and presentations are so so important. I can see it for subjects like Business Studies but don't see any place for them in more traditional academic subjects.

In my experience of presentations, most students seem to just read out things they've written in advance and I feel very strongly that group work discriminates against mature students and is rarely graded fairly.