“The Exam was about Thinking and Explaining, Not Just Memorizing”:
A Hybrid Open-Book Take-Home Collaborative Test for an Inclusive Transnational Class
Keywords:
open-book test, take-home test, collaborative test, classroom ICTAbstract
Technology, social change, and the collective nature of major problems facing the world present challenges for contemporary classrooms where ability to cooperatively research and synthesize information is at a premium over individual ability to memorize and recall information during a short period of time, presenting a validity issue for the skills university classes are cultivating. This study presents the student reactions to hybrid open-book take-home collaborative tests in a diverse transnational social science class. Sixteen students wrote their reaction to the question “How was your experience of examinations in this class compared to examinations in other classes?” after completing hybrid open-book take-home collaborative midterm and final exams. The student perceptions offered support for using hybrid open-book take-home collaborative exams to reduce the need for memorization in exams in preference for promoting general learning with limited support for increased retention. In addition, the study supported student appreciation of the hybrid format, more thinking and reflection, reduced stress, reduced time pressure, engaging concepts more deeply, and more opportunity and incentive to practice research skills.
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