Time to rethink high-stakes exams? Join us and find out
16 August 2024
Wednesday 11 September at 2pm
CRADLE Seminar Series 2024: Seminar #7
In this seminar Melbourne University’s Dr Sarah French, Senior Lecturer in Education, and Professor Raoul Mulder, Professor of Evolutionary Ecology in the School of BioSciences and Professor of Higher Education, unpack the very timely questions relating to the future of high-stake assessments.
- When: Wednesday 11 September 2024
- Time: 2pm to 3.30pm (AEST)
- Where: Online or at Deakin Downtown
- Cost: This is a free event
High-stakes final examinations are widely used as summative assessments in university subjects, and the advent of Generative AI is spurring calls for even greater use of such assessments. In this seminar, we review and evaluate arguments and empirical evidence in the academic literature for and against their deployment as assessment tools in higher education. Perceived academic benefits of high-stakes examinations include their ability to test knowledge recall, motivate study, demonstrate performance under pressure in the absence of information, and their potential to safeguard academic integrity. From a logistical and resource perspective, summative examinations also are cost-effective to administer.
Nevertheless, high-stakes summative examinations have significant pedagogical drawbacks. These include concerns about their reliability and validity, their lack of real-world authenticity and relevance, their limited capacity to assess deep learning, their contribution to elevated psychological distress, and their potential to generate academic inequity as a result of gender- or ethnicity-based differences in performance. We conclude that the current heavy reliance on high-stakes assessments is poorly justified by the balance of empirical evidence.
While well-designed examinations remain potentially valid assessment tools as part of a diversified assessment regime, we suggest that careful consideration be given to whether they should be retained, redesigned, reweighed or replaced.
Join us for this compelling and topical seminar at Deakin Downtown or online
About Sarah French
Sarah French is Senior Lecturer in Education (Equity and Social Justice) in the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne. She coordinates the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Research and Leadership and the subject First Nations in Education.
Sarah is an interdisciplinary researcher with research interests spanning the fields of higher education, Indigenous education and contemporary theatre and performance. She has led the design and delivery of professional development programs in teaching and learning and published widely on higher education policy and practice.
About Raoul Mulder
Raoul Mulder holds dual appointments at the University of Melbourne as Professor of Higher Education in the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE) and as Professor of Evolutionary Ecology in the School of BioSciences (Faculty of Science).
Raoul’s research has a strong focus on evidence-based pedagogy and the student experience in higher education. He has published and spoken widely on educational topics ranging from collaborative learning and student peer review to learning design and learning analytics, learning misconceptions, student wellbeing, and GenerativeAI and assessment.
