Write for an Academic Discussion

A professor has posted a question about a topic and students have responded with their thoughts and ideas. Make a contribution to the discussion.
You will have 10 minutes to write.

Your professor is teaching a class on education.

In your response, you should do the following.

• • Express and support your opinion.
• • Make a contribution to the discussion in your own words.

An effective response will contain at least 100 words.

Professor’s question:

In many universities, a student's final grade is heavily determined by one large final exam at the end of the semester. In contrast, some educators advocate for continuous assessment, where grades are based on multiple smaller assignments, quizzes, and projects throughout the course. Which approach do you believe is a more effective and fair way to evaluate student learning? Why?

Student response 1:

I think continuous assessment is better because it provides a more accurate picture of a student's understanding over the entire semester. Therefore, it reduces the intense pressure of a single exam, which can be stressful and not always reflective of what someone has truly learned.

Student response 2:

I believe final exams are crucial. They encourage students to review and synthesize all the course material, which is a valuable skill for deep learning. As a result, students develop a more holistic understanding of the subject, even though preparing for one big test can be difficult.