“So, how many finals do you have?”
Students at Conn typically have either a final exam or a final paper for each class, and both students and professors have strong preferences for either option.
There are several factors that contribute to a professor’s decision in choosing whether to administer a paper or an exam, starting with the subject of the class. A natural science or math professor is not likely to give students a final paper assignment, and an English professor is not likely to give students a final exam.
There are pros and cons to both final assignments.
Leah Farber ’11 likes final exams that consist of writing prompts, because “they test your ability to think about what you have learned, but also has an endpoint, with a time limit. You do what you can, and when it’s done, it’s done.”
Galen Byrne ’12 prefers papers. “You can combine different things that you have learned and you are given the opportunity to put forth something you are proud of.” Stanislav Andreev ’11 says that with exams, “you can just go and get them over with, while papers are more thorough. Also, the pressure for a paper is greater as there is a greater span of time given.”
Religious Studies Professor David Kim has assigned students from his class, Discontents of Modern Christianity, with a unique final: an oral presentation. Students will team up in groups to talk about a specific philosopher from the class material for 40 minutes. When asked why he chose such a final, Professor Kim referenced one of the class’ philosophers, Immanuel Kant, saying that the oral presentation utilized Kant’s synthetic thinking, in that it brought together different teachings in the class into one final presentation. Kim said that the oral presentation was more of a conversation and a chance to show intellect.
He also said that the final is “not a bar to jump over.”
Andreev prefers Kim’s option, saying that the oral presentation was a more active way of showing what you know.
Andrea Rossi-Reder is both the Dean of Freshmen and Sophomores and an English professor. She always administers final papers to her students. In larger, university settings, exams are given because that is more suitable to the volume of students in a class. Dean Rossi-Reder said that the subject being taught in a class and the size of the class dictate the type of final given.
Professor Tristan Borer of the Government department felt the same way as Professor Kim, agreeing that there are many ways to assess a student’s grasp of the material. Borer administers take home essays that are due at the end of the finals period, giving an exam only in her introductory course. She chose to give her introductory class an exam, because 100-level classes are meant to give students a foundation of a subject, which they can build upon in more advanced classes. She believes that upper classes are more about critically thinking about the material, and that is more effectively shown in a paper. “I think the type of assignment corresponds to what you want to do,” says Borer. “What I like about Connecticut College is that it does not have one-size-fits-all approach to classes.”
Another factor may also affect a professor’s choice of final: the fear of plagiarism.
When asked, Professor Kim said that his decision to administer an oral presentation final had nothing to do with potential issues of honor. “I tend not to worry about plagiarism. I trust strongly on the Honor Code,” he said.
Dean Rossi-Reder said that there has been a lot of talk among the faculty about plagiarism, especially because of an issue last year involving a plagiarized 2009 Commencement speech. Because of that fear, it is possible that some teachers have decided to switch from final papers to final exams. The biggest concern is that students will go online and lift ideas or get papers that are not their own.
Another problem related to plagiarism worries is that students often forget to cite or choose not to. “Faculty sometimes feel that they can exert more control when they give students an exam,” Rossi-Reder commented. She also said that there was a definite correlation between procrastination and plagiarism; the longer students waited to write their papers, the more pressure they would be likely to feel, and the more likely it would be for them to plagiarize. “There’s a lot of discussion right now, with some faculty changing the way they assess students.”
But no matter the exam, paper, or other type of final, no matter where you go on campus, the same advice is always heard: sleep well, eat healthy, and don’t stress too much. Every student knows, however, that this is far easier said than done. •
