After speaking with friends at other schools in the U.S., I think its safe to say that UMaine has a decent amount of final exams. Compared to other schools, my friends have said that finals here are for the most part easier (like a final test) instead of a cumulative exam. My exams are a mix of final essays, final tests and a semi cumulative exam over the last half of the semester.
I think that every professor has their own feelings about these exams, and its clearly evident in the way that they teach and administer their finals. As an education major, I think its important that we have these tests despite the dismay of others. This is a tool to help gauge learning and determine if people are working to their potential.
Everyone has a different experience with finals each semester. A uniform system might be something helpful for these differences...but then again maybe not. What are everyone's thought on how finals are carried out? Should we just have multiple choice questions, or essays, or all cumulative tests, or something differen?
I have never been to another school to see what their finals are like, but I really like the way UMaine does it. I think leaving it up to the professor to design what type of exam they want. I have taken the assessment course here at UMaine with Sid Mitchell, and I have learned that it can be almost impossible to give a purely multiple choice exam depending on the subject. if you are in a chemistry course for example it is sometimes better for the students to be able to write out an answer than choose one from a list. I mean personally I wish every test could be multiple choice, but after taking the assessment course, I understand that it is hard to choose just one type of exams for all subjects in a school.
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