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Some people prefer exams to measure performance .Others hate them.What do you think?
Examination is a must in old conventional system of education because you have to draw a line somewhere between the people who know and who don't know. This is coercive and easy due to the study program purely based on course work.
When we come to the modern educational system comprised of mainly Research work and partially course work then there is a schedule of assessment through assignments and and small tests of course work. This system is on the philosophy of developing skills of the students to learn and through certain assignments students can easily be assessed. Contrary to it in Course work certain information is transfered to the student which can not easily assessed without taking examination.
Exams do measure performance and will probably never be superceeded. However there appears to be more of a move to using "coursework" over a period of time as a means of monitoring learning/performance without putting stress on students during exams which conventionally are a "one off". We know that, historically some indviduals suffer from exam nerves and their subsequent results are not truly indicative of their knowledge base. I feel that the answer is somewhere between the two, use coursework as an appraisal and have a series of shorter "tests" (as opposed to exams) throughout the term. There are occasions when exams as a "stand alone" method of checking learning don't allow time for remedial action to be taken, coming, as they do at the end of term. The "other" method gives ample opportunity for teachers/assessors to indentify shortcomings and take the necessary and appropriate actions to put things right.
Assessment is compulsory for every thing if you want to do well.
Education without exams can provide a more holistic and stress-reduced approach to learning through continuous assessment and practical application. However, it comes with challenges like maintaining standardization and accountability. Balancing traditional exams with alternative assessment methods can help address diverse learning needs while upholding rigorous standards.
A great question and hope I can contribute to the discussion. The format of examinations suit the assessment of some skills and people more than others.
Summative examinations are common 'go-tos' to provide assessment that can be prepared for and delivered easily. But performance can be measured through different methods that offer an assessment of performance for example: skills assessment during practical demonstrations; interviews where questioning can assess a student's understanding; project work and task completion, etc.
But for assessment to be meaningful, there needs to be mapping against standards and meaningful feedback.
Why not? Education without exams,I think its a good idea , specially for young students. About me personaly that I have more than enough skills and abilities to know the student level already before exams which is last way that I used to measure performance.
