ERIC ED392075: A Multi Cultural Final Examination pdf

ERIC ED392075: A Multi Cultural Final Examination

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Description of the Book:

Students in an honors section of a basic public speaking course asked for a final examination which was not multiple choice. Taught from a multicultural perspective, the course emphasized dialogue, excitement, and democratic principles, as well as issues regarding group differences and how power relations function to structure racial and ethnic identities. It was decided that the “final examination” would be in the form of a group discussion on a specific topic. All students would agree on a topic that they wanted to discuss for 2 hours. They would then research the topic and prepare some remarks that reflected their opinions. They would have about 2 weeks between the time they agreed on the topic and the examination. They would be graded on how well they (1) offered new information; (2) gave evidence of their opinions; (3) cited their sources; and (4) maintained eye contact with the entire class.

At the exam, the students sat in a semi-circle, while the instructor stood in front with an overhead form with each person’s name followed by the 4 grading criteria–the students, in other words, could see the grading as the discussion progressed. The examination discussion was a success in that it engaged all students and represented a diverse range of opinions. There were some problems, however. It is questionable as to whether the exam constituted a discussion as opposed to a round-robin speech forum in which each student grabbed his or her chance to say their piece. Also, the public grading distracted the students. (Grading chart is attached.) (TB

• Creator/s: ERIC
• Date: 1995-11
• Year: 1995
• Book Topics/Themes: ERIC Archive, Cooperation, Grading, Group Discussion, Higher Education, Honors Curriculum, Listening Skills, Multicultural Education, Public Speaking, Student Evaluation, Glaser, Hollis

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