Suggestion 177. Give students a choice of substituting a paper

IF YOU WANT TO:

• Give interesting and stimulating assignments

• Give students options to show what they know

• Minimize student test anxiety

Giving the students the choice of substituting a paper for one of the midterms.

A professor of classics gives two midterms and one final exam. He has found it useful to give students the option of writing a paper (from an approved list of topics) for either of the midterms.

"I haven't really noticed any pattern of who takes the midterm and who writes a paper," he comments. "Good and poor students do both. In general about 25% of the class chooses to write a paper." He finds that giving students options increases their motivation and makes them more active learners.

Limitations on Use of Suggestion

  Discipline:  None
Course Level:  None
 Course Size:  None
        Mode:  None

Copyright 1983 by the Regents of the University of California

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