[Year 12 SofDev] U3O1 Assessment Tasks

[Mark]

Hi Calum

In SD programming outcomes (but not in theory tests) I gave kids free
access to reference sources and previous programs.
I found it rarely made a difference to students' performance in tasks.

Competent students would use the resources as useful memory-joggers, like
'cheat sheets' in maths tests. They could apply their higher mental
faculties to solve the problem.
Weaker students would not know which resource was relevant and would not
benefit from it.

You could give me an English/Tibetan dictionary, throw me into a Tibetan
language exam and I'd still fail. I'd spend so much time looking basic
things up that I'd make no progress in the exam.

If an SD student needed to refer to a template to write code to create (for
example) a random file, the student would first need to have known that a
random file was better than a serial file, XML or an external database. A
weaker student would not have known which template to refer to.

Memorisation of a language's syntax is a pretty trivial intellectual skill
compared with the wise selection and application of
good fundamental programming principles.
After all, a real programmer in the real world does not rely on
memorisation of trivial language syntax.  He or she has constant access to
context-sensitive online help and pre-written procedures.

I guess it's much like the logic of allowing kids to use calculators in SD
exams. The arithmetic is a trivial task compared to choosing which
algorithm to use for the calculations.

In contrast, I usually *never* gave IT Applications [Informatics] kids
access to notes during tests or outcomes, since their assessment is very
concept-based and did not hinge on whether a keyword was spelled 'COLOR' or
'COLOUR', for example.

My 2.2c worth (or 2.3c with 15% GST)

I'd be interested to hear other people's philosophies on the issue.

Cheers

Mark
Ex McKinnon Secondary College



On 16 February 2016 at 12:30, CALUM MUNRO <mun at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au> wrote:

> Are students expected to do the assessment tasks 'closed book' or are they
> allowed to refer back to previous programs?
>
> Thanks, Calum
>
>
>
> --
> Calum Munro
> McKinnon Secondary College
>
>
-- 

Mark Kelly

mark at vceit.com
http://vceit.com
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