The traditional exam is an old technology based on an out-of-date concept of how people learn. We have better ways to test students’ capacity to succeed in today’s world.
The pandemic exposed challenges in the way we assess knowledge. Many UK examination approaches still required students to turn up to an exam hall – and, during the pandemic, they simply couldn’t. Do traditional exams give us an accurate picture of students’ learning and understanding? I would argue they don’t.
It’s time to change the assessment landscape.
Different disciplines shouldn’t be expected to demonstrate learning via traditional exams. Would you want to have lifesaving CPR administered by a paramedic who has simply written an exam paper on the technique?
