Dumbing down SA

[Kevin Lancaster]

Dumbing down South Africa

Unisa’s plan to let struggling students write open-book exams from home is the latest example of how South Africa is getting dumbed down.

 

[xumwun]

You should at least do some research before making statements like that.

There's some real tabloid style "journalism" over this issue.

 

[whatnot]

Is someone actually "educated" to be a mathematical genius, as Koos Bekker seems to imply ? I'm not so sure.

 

[Fulcrum29]

Without knowing the standards set by the open-book composition it is unwise to make a dumbing down remark.

Take a look at this picture,



Why the heavy load when it can be assumed that the lawyer is prepared?

This article is a simple explanation,

http://study.com/articles/Why_Even_Smart_Students_Still_Need_to_Study_for_an_Open-Book_Exam.html

Why Even Smart Students Still Need to Study for an Open-Book Exam

An open-book exam might seem like an invitation to blow off studying, but like any test, those that allow you to use your book require preparation. These points will help you understand why an open-book exam isn't necessarily a one-way ticket to an A.

Read the article.

 

[Necropolis]

I suspect the issue isn't with the exams being open book but more the fact that the students can take them at home...

 

[xrapidx]

Then surely you have two different standards of education - one based on open book testing, and one based on closed book testing.

 

[Fulcrum29]

I suspect the issue isn't with the exams being open book but more the fact that the students can take them at home...

Yes, but this,

Students will be given 24 hours to complete these “alternative assignments”, and must then sign a declaration stating the work is their own.

When I studied at UNISA to complete my one degree my workload included the abovementioned assignments and that was back in 2005/8. The entire UNISA basis today is a collaborative workgroup which is easily accessible over MyUNISA. The open-book exams may be something new as an alternative remedy or even to provide remedy to the aegrotat examinations and will be open to cheating during the allocated exam time, but the open-book assignments are nothing new.

There may also be more than one exam, probably distributed in random groups, these exams are usually based on applying theory to a given scenario, and the answer(s) are unique.

To quote the Sunday Times,

http://www.timeslive.co.za/sundayti.../Unisas-open-book-tests-make-it-easy-to-cheat

Selected students will be given 24 hours to complete the assessments by themselves; they need only sign a declaration stating the work is their own...

It sounds like the current system at UNISA, but with selected students which can be managed. Preparation is still key and without class attendance this will be extremely hard. Especially considering,

Struggling final-year students

 

[ThinkCentre]

You should at least do some research before making statements like that.

There's some real tabloid style "journalism" over this issue.

The facts in this article are true. I researched this last year for a assignment. The average mathematical education in South Africa is something to cry about! It is far worse than you think!

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/government/132344-shocking-south-african-mathematics-figures.html

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/gover...ence-education-ranked-worst-in-the-world.html

 

[rynovz]

Dumbing down South Africa

Unisa’s plan to let struggling students write open-book exams from home is the latest example of how South Africa is getting dumbed down.

Kevin, you should also have done your home work before posting such drivel. First of all you should have listened to the 702 interview with Unisa's Pieter Havenga. Secondly just google the term "take home examination" and you will see that it is nothing new. It is not something Unisa invented. It is even recognised in highly regarded schools like Stanford and Yale.

 

[Wallman]

I posted this on the article, but here it is again:

Here is the exact wording of the (nearly decade old, (since 2007) policy:

"17.7 Undergraduate students in their final year of study who have a maximum of two modules outstanding to complete the qualification may qualify for assistance in terms of the procedure to assist students who have one or two modules outstanding to complete a qualification at Unisa. Modules offered for Non-Degree Purposes in order to complete a qualification at another university, are not considered for FI Concession purposes. The student must have written and failed the modules in the last examination and the examinations must have been the first examination opportunity. Note that not all modules are considered for FI Concession purposes. Since the university grants the FI Concession opportunity based on the requirements met by the student, you are not able to apply to the university to be considered for such an assessment opportunity. No student will be granted a third opportunity in respect of the FI Concession. The university reserves the right to award or decline the special assessment opportunity based on the student’s formative and last
summative assessment. Postgraduate students (who qualify) must owe 24 credits or less in order to be considered for the above assistance. This opportunity is granted at the sole discretion of the University. Students cannot apply for this opportunity"

Here is the source, it's under 17.7:

http://www.unisa.ac.za/contents/study/docs/myRegistration-Unisa-2015-Rules-for-students.pdf

Here is Prof Havenga stating the date of the implementation at 2:40:

https://soundcloud.com/primediabroadcasting/peter-havenga

Here is Harvard Law's version of this used as the main form of assessment:

http://hls.harvard.edu/dept/registrar/examinations/exam4-take-home-instructions/

Also note the original Sunday Times article contradicts itself by saying the system is new and then saying it's been going since 2009.

 

[rbarryza]

The hardest exam I ever took was an open book, take home exam during my masters in engineering. We picked up the test and had 12 hours to bring it back. I worked for 10 hours straight on it. It's not that difficult to devise a test where you cannot simply look up the answers, where the knowledge has to be applied. It is actually a much better test of how the student understands the material, rather than being able to parrot it back. It's also very easy usually to see when students collaborate on answers, because the problems usually have such a wide range of answers that it would immediately be suspicious if 2 students had similar solutions.

Like someone higher up said : this smells of tabloid journalism.

 

[Pho3nix]

Very tabloid style.
Seems articles on myBB are getting worse.

 

[Nokkie]

Maybe I can buy a house for R10.00 one day

 

[R13...]

I suspect the issue isn't with the exams being open book but more the fact that the students can take them at home...

To a level, yes allowing under-grads take home exams is an invitation for exam fraud. But take home exam are available at universities such as tukkies at post-grad level. But all that said UNISA did have that exam fraud scandal a while ago with their normal closed book papers being sold or leaked. Who is to say you can't still buy the paper on the black market somewhere.

 

[Johnatan56]

I think an open-book exam is more of a showing of a person's actual skill.
Learning stuff off by heart is useless in this day and age, google is your friend.
With an open-book exam you are required to use that knowledge and apply it, which is what you actually need to do in the work force. If you know nothing you will still fail, you have to know the general gist of what you are studying, where to find more info on it, etc.
This means you get tested on the understanding of that knowledge instead of a test on your memorization skills.

 

[Azg]

What is the advantage of the open book exam at home over the conventional exam? I would have thought the emphasis should be on teaching the students better so that they understand the subject matter properly in in which case they should pass a normal exam, without this additional assistance.

 

[Azg]

I think an open-book exam is more of a showing of a person's actual skill.
Learning stuff off by heart is useless in this day and age, google is your friend.
With an open-book exam you are required to use that knowledge and apply it, which is what you actually need to do in the work force. If you know nothing you will still fail, you have to know the general gist of what you are studying, where to find more info on it, etc.
This means you get tested on the understanding of that knowledge instead of a test on your memorization skills.

A properly structured university course should teach you knowledge and skills that you can apply once you graduate. A properly structured closed book exam will test your skills, application and understanding more than the open book exam. There is the misconception that if you can remember what you learnt at school it means you only memorized it but did not understand anything. After 3 or 4 years at university surely something should have been retained in the student's memory. I don't think an exam suddenly becomes better because the students have been given the crutch of opening a book or researching on the internet.

 

[rynovz]

What is the advantage of the open book exam at home over the conventional exam? I would have thought the emphasis should be on teaching the students better so that they understand the subject matter properly in in which case they should pass a normal exam, without this additional assistance.

Clearly you didn't read the previous posts or you just don't grasp the concept. Read Wallman's reply.

And yes there is no advantage of the open book at home over the conventional exam as the former is unstructured and definitely more difficult. It definitely won't contain list this and define that questions (not supposed to). No word-for-word regurgitation of what is in the textbook.

You know that some subjects only provide portfolio assessments; no examinations? My programming subjects (NOT at UNISA) was also just project based; no examinations.

The world is moving forward (technology wise, of course), keep up with it.

 

[signeffex]

In the real world you can refer to documentation anytime if you're not completely sure of something.
If you dumb even this wont help you. So i can see this open book thing making sense.

 

[rynovz]

A properly structured university course should teach you knowledge and skills that you can apply once you graduate. A properly structured closed book exam will test your skills, application and understanding more than the open book exam. There is the misconception that if you can remember what you learnt at school it means you only memorized it but did not understand anything. After 3 or 4 years at university surely something should have been retained in the student's memory. I don't think an exam suddenly becomes better because the students have been given the crutch of opening a book or researching on the internet.

You know that Masters degrees and PHD's are based on opening and reading books and yes even researching on the WWW?