Med students take on Wits

Nom Chompsky

Nom Chompsky

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Critics say university faculty’s new assessment method is unfair and discriminatory to students coming from poor schools because it does not take into account their historical challenges.

She failed once, but her appeal to be re-admitted was rejected outright.

This was the submission made by Noxolo Siqwephu*, a former medical student at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), to the SA Human Rights Commission in May, as part of calls for a probe to be conducted into an alleged discriminatory assessment system – known as Cohen 60 – used by the university.

A distraught mother, whose name is known to City Press, has also lodged a complaint with the commission and the Public Protector’s office, after her son was allegedly excluded from Wits because he failed, according to the Cohen method of assessment applied by the university.

A senior academic and some students have also questioned the Cohen method, calling it “controversial”.

According to the complainants, the Cohen method is discriminatory as it calculates the pass mark based on the average score obtained by students.

But Professor Martin Veller, dean of the faculty of health sciences at Wits, has denied this allegation and defended the method.

He told City Press on Friday that it was based on testing levels of student competency, adding that this method was an internationally acceptable norm for medical students.

“What we really want out of our students is that they perform well above the level of competence,” Veller said.

“So, the first thing that all our students are told is that to be a professional, being okay is not good enough. Being outstanding is what we want.

“There is no such thing as being okay if I have just passed as a doctor,” he said.

However, another Wits academic, Dr Thifheli Luvhengo, who serves on the transformation committee, has also questioned the method. He has written an academic paper claiming that the Cohen method, in its current form, is unfair to students coming from poor schools because it does not take into account their historical challenges.

In the paper, which City Press has seen, Luvhengo says it does not make sense that “anyone would advocate the use of the Cohen method for a high-stakes examination, such as a progress or certification examination, in any institution in the country”.

“The sole purpose of introducing it in South Africa appears to have been to control the pass rate, which is known to dramatically improve if the quality of examination is enhanced, such as the introduction of a good SBA [single-based answer], multiple choice questions and the equalisation of training platforms and teaching exposure,” he writes in the paper.

“It has, however, led to apprehension and persistent allegations that improvement of the pass rate of black candidates at basic and higher education levels equates to lowering of academic standards, which puts communities at risk.”

Documents seen by City Press, which include inquiries that were conducted by Wits into the matter, showed that a number of students failed between 2016 and 2017 allegedly because of the Cohen method.

Siqwephu claimed in her submission that her appeal to be readmitted for the second year was not entertained by Wits despite the fact that other students, who had failed more than once, continued with their studies.

Failing too many terms, she said, was used as a reason for her exclusion.

“That tells me that there was no justification for my appeal being rejected. Had I not failed too many modules, like some of the students I know who were not required to appeal, I would also not have been excluded. I strongly feel that Wits wanted to cut down the number of students. That is why some of the appeals were rejected.
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https://city-press.news24.com/News/med-students-take-on-wits-20190708
 
Education standards in SA are low, and are going to go down further, as sure as the sun will rise in the east tomorrow.

So she failed too many terms, and too many modules, and was therefore excluded. And that is unfair ?

I have sympathy with students who come from the failed ANC schooling system, in spite of all the money that is spent on education. But as we know, the ANC can't run anything.
 
Jola said:
Education standards in SA are low, and are going to go down further, as sure as the sun will rise in the east tomorrow.

So she failed too many terms, and too many modules, and was therefore excluded. And that is unfair ?

I have sympathy with students who come from the failed ANC schooling system, in spite of all the money that is spent on education. But as we know, the ANC can't run anything.
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Culture of victimhood is big in SA and it is quite big in universities, especially some students who think they should pass by default for just pitching up.
 
it's an average across your modules. Heck if anything that's very gracious. That means a student can fail dismally in some modules, while doing well in others, and still pass.

How can something like that be discriminatory????
 
Medical degrees should be handed out at the time the student applies for studying. A simple once-off fee, which the university can claim from the government should suffice. This will take away all the issues of learning, failing, passing, residence, spending. The outcome of this would be the same as the outcome of a 7-year student being passed simply because of his or her historical background.
 
Failing too many terms, she said, was used as a reason for her exclusion.

Yes, that's the reason snookums, you failed, not once, not twice, but every term in your first year - I wouldn't want you passing as a Dr hell Nope.
 
The Cohen 60 method does seem stupid though. For example, if the class is weak, the pass requirement will be low, while if the class is strong, the pass requirement will be high.
 
Lowering the standards, then the "rulers" all seek medical attention in other countries.
 
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lumeer said:
The Cohen 60 method does seem stupid though. For example, if the class is weak, the pass requirement will be low, while if the class is strong, the pass requirement will be high.
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Some current(AFAIK) admission criteria would punch racist holes in that statement.:ROFL:
 
Devils Advocate here:
Cohen 60 Test
Advantages of Cohen
Quick & cheap – Cohen is a very quick method of calculating a cut-off score and doesn’t require a panel of judges which can be difficult and expensive to arrange, making it ideal for informal in-house exams.

Simple – The maths behind the Cohen method is simple, you simply need to calculate 60% of the result of the 95th percentile student, and make amendments for guessing.

Reduced variability – Studies have found that Cohen consistently produces similar cut-off scores for the same exam over different years and cohorts of students.

Disadvantages of Cohen
Not ideal for high stakes - This method is not very valid or reliable for use in high stakes examinations that decide the fate of student’s careers or progression in education as 60% could be considered an arbitrary measurement.

Assumptions – This method assumes that the student in the 95th percentile is a consistent high performer, and also that they are a fair representation of the abilities of the rest of the cohort.

In summary, the Cohen method is a quick and simple method of calculating a cut-off score in low stakes, informal examinations. It would be advised to consider using a more justifiable method of standard setting such as Angoff or Borderline regression for high stakes examinations.
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" the Cohen method is discriminatory as it calculates the pass mark based on the average score obtained by students. "

As opposed to taking your highest score... I suppose? Probably for the one subject you passed which was one of those lame science philosophy classes the 1st years get that are basically infallible.

I give up. I simply don't have the wit it takes to make this **** any funnier than it already is.
 
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"the pass rate, which is known to dramatically improve if the quality of examination is enhanced, such as the introduction of a good SBA [single-based answer], multiple choice questions and the equalisation of training platforms and teaching exposure,” he writes in the paper"

The thing who wrote this is a "Doctor".
Let that sink in.

Why not just hook up a f**ing dart board to the wall and hand the degree and.or entry over the the pupils who gets the closest to the bullseye? ... actually no, hand over the degree to anyone who hits the board. And if they miss they get to come back again and again to try again.
 
As usual, people jump in with both feet firmly in mouth. First, read up on the Cohen method then comment.

A quick internet search will show:

"Cohen is a method of establishing a cut-off score by taking 60% of the score achieved by the top performing candidate (usually the 95th percentile). The Cohen method is considered less valid than certain other methods of standard setting.
Should you use Cohen?
The Cohen method is very affordable and simple to apply. However, questions can be raised about the validity of the method as there is no real justification or evidence behind using 60% of the 95th percentile. However, it does have some substance in that the top performing student is a good representation of the best that could be achieved in the exam, and this is also a stable figure. For these reasons, the Cohen method is ideal for use in in-house, informal examinations but not for high-stakes examinations that have implications on people’s careers.

Advantages of Cohen
Quick & cheap – Cohen is a very quick method of calculating a cut-off score and doesn’t require a panel of judges which can be difficult and expensive to arrange, making it ideal for informal in-house exams.

Simple – The maths behind the Cohen method is simple, you simply need to calculate 60% of the result of the 95th percentile student, and make amendments for guessing.

Reduced variability – Studies have found that Cohen consistently produces similar cut-off scores for the same exam over different years and cohorts of students.

Disadvantages of Cohen
Not ideal for high stakes - This method is not very valid or reliable for use in high stakes examinations that decide the fate of student’s careers or progression in education as 60% could be considered an arbitrary measurement.

Assumptions – This method assumes that the student in the 95th percentile is a consistent high performer, and also that they are a fair representation of the abilities of the rest of the cohort.

In summary, the Cohen method is a quick and simple method of calculating a cut-off score in low stakes, informal examinations. It would be advised to consider using a more justifiable method of standard setting such as Angoff or Borderline regression for high stakes examinations."
 
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