No Exams, No Teachers....in IBS

I have been working with SAMK Innovative Business Services Degree Programme (IBS) since last autumn in Finland as a bread-and-butter (from the bottom of my heart!), and the on-demand coaching in co-operation with an awesome team of seven pretty much like-minded colleagues, has proved to be my type of educational approach. It is demanding and challenging for both coachees and coaches - lots of work and profound learning experiences without traditional exams.

I love my work at BUIC too, but the exam procedures are not my favourite ones.

To examine two times - Midterm and Final - during the Summer Session is obligatory here at BUIC, and the weight is 60%  of grading. All too much, I think. Most of the students read hardly a few hours for the exam, to memorize essentials skin deep barely until the exam. And, after exam you'll just have to admit in class  that most of the students don't recall or seem to know even the basic stuff anymore.  It's the same all around the world, I guess. That's why I think that exams are very seldom - if ever - worthwhile. It is time-consuming to design dozens of open-ended multiple choice questions, as well as checking the papers. And, unfortunately it is not all that rewarding. This kind of exams don't give a faintest evidence of profound comprehension and ability to apply the learned. But so it goes in working life too often, unfortunately - formalities and formal qualifications are valued above adequacy and aptitude for work and team. 

Right at the moment I am relieved that I have done the exam checking of total 120 papers. The relief may last only a few days as I'll have to prepare the final exams to be submitted to the BUIC Faculty office during next week.

So, after getting all these exam duties done before I'll leave Bangkok, I swear that there will be zero exams in my life in near future, probably never :)