Math Department
SUMMATIVE WRITING STRATEGIES
1) Do not print the summative assessment until you have completed all the required activities.
This unit assessment is designed for a student to take the activities of the unit as a whole and demonstrate their ability to identify and apply the skills necessary. If the assessment is done while students are doing the individual activities rather than as a summary, it changes the thinking process and the student's ability to identify required skills and differentiate between various methods may suffer, with the results being felt at exam-writing time.
2) Take two attempts at this assignment...first without notes, then with notes
In our courses, you do not have the experience of writing unit tests (restrictions on time, no notes) which is an important skill that you do need for exam-writing. Since we cannot give your the experience, re-create it for yourself.
One you have finished the unit and are ready for the summative (it is suggested that you do this at least ONE day prior to the due date of the assignment), review your notes and practice questions, as if studying for a real unit test and then put the notes away. Find a quiet comfortable spot where you will be uninterrupted for 1.5 hours. Without referring to your notes or outside resources, attempt to do the Unit Summative Assessment.
When your time allotted is up, make a note of the sections with which you struggled and those with which you had success. If you were writing a unit test you would be done at this point, but use the advantage that you have: you are able to use your notes and additional time. Now, go back to your course and your notes and review those sections which are necessary. Fill in the blanks on your assignments before submitting.
3) If you cannot do the question on your own, you cannot do the question
When you are doing the summative assessments, if should represent what YOU know. Getting outside help is a good thing....as long as you LEARN to do the question ON YOUR OWN.
Here is the test: Get as much help as you want in explaining the problem (or, better yet, a similar problem) and then try writing up the solution without any assistance (not notes, no computer, no tutor). If you cannot write up the solution on your own without referring to an outside source, you need to go back and learn some more. Otherwise, you are not just cheating on the assessment, you are cheating yourself in your learning process. You should not be handing in a solution that you cannot reproduce on your own.
1) Do not print the summative assessment until you have completed all the required activities.
This unit assessment is designed for a student to take the activities of the unit as a whole and demonstrate their ability to identify and apply the skills necessary. If the assessment is done while students are doing the individual activities rather than as a summary, it changes the thinking process and the student's ability to identify required skills and differentiate between various methods may suffer, with the results being felt at exam-writing time.
2) Take two attempts at this assignment...first without notes, then with notes
In our courses, you do not have the experience of writing unit tests (restrictions on time, no notes) which is an important skill that you do need for exam-writing. Since we cannot give your the experience, re-create it for yourself.
One you have finished the unit and are ready for the summative (it is suggested that you do this at least ONE day prior to the due date of the assignment), review your notes and practice questions, as if studying for a real unit test and then put the notes away. Find a quiet comfortable spot where you will be uninterrupted for 1.5 hours. Without referring to your notes or outside resources, attempt to do the Unit Summative Assessment.
When your time allotted is up, make a note of the sections with which you struggled and those with which you had success. If you were writing a unit test you would be done at this point, but use the advantage that you have: you are able to use your notes and additional time. Now, go back to your course and your notes and review those sections which are necessary. Fill in the blanks on your assignments before submitting.
3) If you cannot do the question on your own, you cannot do the question
When you are doing the summative assessments, if should represent what YOU know. Getting outside help is a good thing....as long as you LEARN to do the question ON YOUR OWN.
Here is the test: Get as much help as you want in explaining the problem (or, better yet, a similar problem) and then try writing up the solution without any assistance (not notes, no computer, no tutor). If you cannot write up the solution on your own without referring to an outside source, you need to go back and learn some more. Otherwise, you are not just cheating on the assessment, you are cheating yourself in your learning process. You should not be handing in a solution that you cannot reproduce on your own.