It’s beginning to look a lot like finals. This time of the year is meant to test how much you have learned throughout the semester. Many classes require finals, meaning you must study for several courses simultaneously. Stress fills most of your day as you try to fit all required knowledge into your young brain. Sometimes, the situation calls for an all-nighter, or you may need some collective study time with other classmates to clear up doubts and reinforce what you have learned so far. This season may bring the question: Are finals even necessary?
I might get canceled for this, but I believe that comprehensive exams can be a good way to test students. For teachers and professors, they provide a way to evaluate students’ learning and understanding from the class; for students, they can serve as a guideline to see what needs extra work, especially if the class is important for their futures. In the working world, practical “exams” could happen at any time. Now, I want to clarify that exams or testing moments might not be the same for each discipline, and some disciplines (like creative arts) might not need as much testing, depending on the nature of their job. Exams are not inherently wrong, but how they are administered can be a problem. The timing of cumulative tests and how they are done undermine their effectiveness.
There is awareness that there are than just asking students to memorize concepts, take tests and then forget everything that they’ve learned. Other tests might be useful and more practical in nature, like applying concepts to real-life situations and practicing teamwork. The problem, however, is trying to do several tests at once. Why do we have to take tests for so many different classes at (almost) the same time?
The timing of finals could be better. Students face the tightest time of the year filled with studying and working on several projects at once, leaving them with only a tiny amount of time to properly revise all they learned (even if they spread out all that learning process during the semester) and, on top of that, with mental and physical health issues. is becoming more common as finals are heavily weighted. So, despite their health, students find themselves burdened with so many commitments. This practice, however, has become so normalized that others believe “it should happen to everyone” in the sense that everyone should “suffer through the process” in all possible ways instead of looking for a solution to make it more efficient to learn and grow.
Is there a way to fix this? Probably, but it would require a lot of thinking and analysis of each student’s situation and requirements. The tests themselves might not be the problem (although some professors might have to reevaluate how they administer their tests), but how the education system schedules and executes these tests must be fixed. Maybe a quarter system would help, since it would mean fewer subjects to focus on simultaneously; maybe each subject should end at a different time. As the world works faster and more issues arise, so must education adapt and learn how to fix those issues. For the time being, what we can do, as students or professors, is simply our best with our situation.
Students, remember that a grade does not define you. Take breaks, take care of yourself, follow a schedule and plan for studying, and talk with your professors if accommodations are needed—they are usually open to help. Professors, remember that each student’s situation is different. I cannot justify all students, but I ask you to be a bit open and flexible with those students who might be struggling, especially when things we cannot control are going wild. Look to other options, such as group projects or open-book exams with questions that require more critical thinking. Not only will the students benefit from learning and applying the concepts better, but it might also motivate them to engage more with the class content, making the class more enjoyable and fulfilling.
Like many of you, I do not like finals, but they are not useless. The timing of them could be better, and how they are weighted and administered should be based on the best way to encourage learning for that particular subject. But, at the end of the day, there must be a way to accurately assess students while not taking a toll on students’ health.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of 日韩AV. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, 日韩AV or the Seventh-day Adventist church.