Re: MATH Papers and Take Home Tests

Kathy Acks (Kathy.Acks@MCCADA.MAUICC.HAWAII.EDU)
Thu, 5 Dec 1996 13:28:09 -1000

When creating a take home exam, you may want to consider interest rates
of F% where F is the number of letters in a students first name, or L%
where L is the number of letters in a students last name. You may want
to combine F and L in different ways - most papers then will be unique.
The graphic calculator will be a big aid to you then in grading these
problems as you can put in formulas and then just replace the
"variable". I announce to the class that I want them to work together!!
I find that with take home exams, the material can be moreinteresting
and thought provoking.

Aloha Kate

On Thu, 5 Dec 1996, Paul Kotz wrote:

> Regarding take home tests: I teach a course called Mathematical
> Systems, which includes a finance portion. I allow them to take home the
> test, put them on their honor, and make sure they show me all of their
> work. No work, no credit. This is about 1/8 of their total grade. I realize
> that some students will try to copy others. This is inevitable. But, I find it
> to be a valuable use of their time, because I make the take-home test
> harder than the in-class version.
>
> As long as this is not a regular practice to give take home tests, I see it
> as a valuable way to see how students do without the time factor
> involved.
>
> Incidentally, I require people to write a two page paper at the end of a
> quarter, relating a topic they have learned in this class to their life, job,
> career, or an area that interests them.
>
> We have alot of very bright, creative, and quantitatively talented people
> out there, just waiting to be untapped!
>
> Ok, so you may think this is nuts to require a paper. But realize, that
> most students have been very receptive to this idea, and what they
> produce has been phenomenal.
>
> Please let me know what you think....
>