E-Reports: An Alternative to Exams with Better Learning, Less Stress

The primary purpose of exams is to assess student learning, but it can be argued that too much emphasis is placed on exams by both students and instructors. Also, students often prepare for exams by “cramming” at the last minute or by rote practice of course content. Neither approach leads to long-lasting learning. This session will describe student electronic reports (e-reports), an alternative to traditional exams. E-reports are completely student generated and multimedia in nature. Students summarize and condense the most critical content from course units into 20- to 30-minute stand-alone multimedia presentations/video files, demonstrating student comprehension of the course material.

OUTCOMES: Understand what an e-report is * Assign an e-report to a class with clear directions and expectations * Become comfortable assessing and grading e-reports to see how e-reports impact student learning outcomes