Cheated by the Test
I believe deeply in honor and integrity, but the culture of cheating onus lies not only with the student (“Cheating the System,” Winter/Spring 2016). I believe there is a great lack of innovative and creativity in assessments, at least in my program, that is out of sync with the new ways we learn and collaborate.
I am in my last week of a program where nearly every assessment was a multiple-choice test with questions drawn from tests banks. A recent online test I took was accessed with a lockdown browser that denied access to the internet while the test was open. We were told to use our notes and text resources, but not collaborate. Of course, nearly everyone used another device to research answers.
Why? People did this because it wasn’t prohibited, but more importantly, because the assessment was an ineffective measure of our knowledge and participation in the course (and, my text was an e-book).
Ironically, most of the other graded work, and most of the time spent working in this course involved application of knowledge through collaborative projects. So why the need for this sort of assessment that seemed out of sync with the way the course was taught?
In reality, as professionals, we do need to learn essential material, and we do need to know how to find the answers to questions we don’t know. Everyday we do this in our work using the internet and collaborating with our colleagues.
I challenge educators to let go of outdated traditional assessments and get with Drexel’s vision of innovation and put more work into designing effective assessments. Then, at least half of the problem will be solved.
Gina Onushco
BS nursing ’16
Wilmington, Delaware
Announcing Schuylkill Yards
Announcing Schuylkill Yards
It is exciting to hear more about Drexel’s joint venture with Brandywine Realty Trust (“Developer Named for Long-Awaited Innovation District,” Winter/Spring 2016). This is an impressive assignment for Drexel. As a Drexel graduate I couldn’t be happier about the development of this almost-forgotten space. It is no surprise to me that Drexel is part of this ambitious project.
Patricia Fenimore-Lange
BS marketing ’90
Marlton, New Jersey