The exam consists of a portfolio which includes four compulsory assignments, the last of which is a theoretically based assignment chosen by the student reflecting on the three previous assignments. Each sub-assignment consists of 2-3 standard pages.
To create a more dynamic exam form which works online as well as focusing on formative evaluation, the writing process and the academic genre.
The teaching takes the form of an intensive online course which is divided into four phases of approximately one week’s duration. Each phase is based on different activities, and the products of these will be part of the portfolio exam at the end of the course.
The activities are carried out in groups and will be presented and discussed in a blog with feedback in the form of comments from fellow students and teachers.
Each phase consists of the following parts:
Each group must comment on one of the other blog posts, and the teacher can also comment and participate in the discussion.
The students get the opportunity to discuss many issues related to formalities and argumentation with the teacher and fellow students in a manner which is highly text oriented. The students’ progress becomes very clear to the teacher when they write several assignments in a row and get feedback on drafts from the teacher. This gives the teacher a clear impression of the level of the class, and of whether there are any problems in understanding specific theories or formal requirements for exam assignments which can be solved straightaway.
The students have shown great enthusiasm for this format, in which there is a lot of focus on their specific assignment and the provision of feedback. We are under the impression that the students learn a lot by reading each other’s assignments and the comments attached to them, resulting in great openness throughout the class.
The key learning objectives for the exam activity are:
