Diagnosis: under exam

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Nobody like exams.

Neither students, neither teachers. I can find evidence for both ideas Before coming to Sweden I as working as student assistant with my supervisor, when I was doing my PhD. Yep, I took the study break to see how studies occur here, even it seems to be academic downshifting: leaving PhD in favor of Master Program. However, who said that knowledge development could be only sequential? So, as PhD student I had to teach and was responsible for examination of my students as well. In fact, it is really stressful to prepare exams question, that facilitate (or intend to) thinking and help students to show their best. Nobody wants anyone to fail, but on the other hands the exam is supposed to set up a sort of standard of knowledge. What is A? Who deserves C?  How one should evaluate the answers – according to the average student or according to the ideal created by the teacher themselves?

Anyway, now I am wearing my student’s boots and this Monday I will take (hopefully) my last exam (hopefully again) in SMIO program, that is known as the most complicated among all of exams. Where does complexity come from? First of all, we have a long literature list ( around 35 papers), covering different areas. Secondly, these papers are representing variety of scholars opinion regarding the issues. It means that we should not only memorize concepts, but also construct relation between them. Finally, we will have 4 hours to structure our ideas  answering open questions in paper. As complement to written exams we have also final papers, that I like more. It gives a chance not to replicate the ideas of business scientists, but mainly present your own opinion. Structure, creativity and relevance matter. Complexity of that form of examination is found on the form of work. We are supposed mainly to write final papers togethers, it is a collective examination. There is a magic word ‘coherency’. I would say it is one of the key success factors of papers, apart from issues mentioned above.

It is time for me to stop writing that text and coming back to problems of knowledge integration and team-based learning. Hope is not enough for taking exams in Linköping University.