Question for Lecturer.

degra22 · 12-01-2018 11:21PM #1

Masters student here. Completed an exam today in a reputable university. Sadly I glossed over the paper and failed to recognise question 1 was compulsory.

With 2 or 3 being optional. Both 1, 2 and 3 carry equal rating. 50% each.

I only realised what I had done when I talked to a classmate after and asked what questions he did only to be told...1 was compulsory. Needless to say I was shocked and embarrassed.

I quickly talked to the lecturer who said he would talk to school and extern and get back to me.

Answering 1 was not an issue. I actually had it earmarked to answer and at the last minute for some reason unbeknownst to me I decided to do both 2 and 3......utterly gutted.

I'm just wondering, if anyone has experienced this before and if so what is the normal procedure.

I will probably pass with just 1 question being marked as I have a high CA. But, I would actually rather repeat if thats the case as I want to keep up my 1:1.

Also, I've never repeated an exam so don't know if you can only obtain a pass... or you start fresh.

GRRRRRRR. Please advise

wetlandsboy · 13-01-2018 12:53AM

degra22 wrote: »

Masters student here. Completed an exam today in a reputable university. Sadly I glossed over the paper and failed to recognise question 1 was compulsory.

With 2 or 3 being optional. Both 1, 2 and 3 carry equal rating. 50% each.

I only realised what I had done when I talked to a classmate after and asked what questions he did only to be told...1 was compulsory. Needless to say I was shocked and embarrassed.

I quickly talked to the lecturer who said he would talk to school and extern and get back to me.

Answering 1 was not an issue. I actually had it earmarked to answer and at the last minute for some reason unbeknownst to me I decided to do both 2 and 3......utterly gutted.

I'm just wondering, if anyone has experienced this before and if so what is the normal procedure.

I will probably pass with just 1 question being marked as I have a high CA. But, I would actually rather repeat if thats the case as I want to keep up my 1:1.

Also, I've never repeated an exam so don't know if you can only obtain a pass... or you start fresh.

GRRRRRRR. Please advise

Uni Prof here. My guess is that you’ll be marked on the questions you answered (assuming the lecturer takes a benign view). Worst case scenario is that the lecturer awards marks only for the answer with the highest marks.

I think you did the right thing by discussing this with the lecturer- hopefully he/she will do the right thing.

boombang · 13-01-2018 01:21AM

Junior-ish lecturer here.

I would mark according to the worst case scenario as described by wetlandsboy. Harsh as it is, I'm looking for clear and objective evidence to differentiate between high and low scoring papers. Reading the question carefully is a prerequisite and I seek to grade all papers equally.

In my experience strong candidates in this situation tend to compensate well from other papers and it largely washes out.

I think asking for a repeat is a fair request. No idea how it would be entertained.

13-01-2018 09:50AM

Generally if you repeat, your repeat exam score is capped at 40 or whatever a pass is in your course. It was very unfortunate but it was your own mistake and one that most lecturers will not make allowances for as that would be unfair to other students who read their papers correctly. I would be gutted so I really feel your pain on this one and I would pursue all options in case you have very sound lecturers.

degra22 · 13-01-2018 10:32AM

wetlandsboy wrote: »

Uni Prof here. My guess is that you’ll be marked on the questions you answered (assuming the lecturer takes a benign view). Worst case scenario is that the lecturer awards marks only for the answer with the highest marks.

I think you did the right thing by discussing this with the lecturer- hopefully he/she will do the right thing.

boombang wrote: »

Junior-ish lecturer here.

I would mark according to the worst case scenario as described by wetlandsboy. Harsh as it is, I'm looking for clear and objective evidence to differentiate between high and low scoring papers. Reading the question carefully is a prerequisite and I seek to grade all papers equally.

In my experience strong candidates in this situation tend to compensate well from other papers and it largely washes out.

I think asking for a repeat is a fair request. No idea how it would be entertained.

Deleted User wrote: »

Generally if you repeat, your repeat exam score is capped at 40 or whatever a pass is in your course. It was very unfortunate but it was your own mistake and one that most lecturers will not make allowances for as that would be unfair to other students who read their papers correctly. I would be gutted so I really feel your pain on this one and I would pursue all options in case you have very sound lecturers.

Thank you all. I followed up with an email 10 mins after I got home from the exam. I had done extensive prep for answer 1 and sent on my study notes. I'm PRAYING that they understand it was a mistake.

As you've all pointed out, it was my mistake and mine alone. It was clearly stated at the top of the paper that 1 was compulsory. I suppose it was a busy morning with the kids and I just dropped them off to a babysitter and got to the exam with 5 minutes to go. I think adrenaline just made me jump right in.....

Its put me in such a downer, especially as I was leaving the exam on a high note thinking I'd done very well

I've done two degrees and am well aware of the compulsory question on most exam papers, its never been an issue. I just do not know HOW I missed it this time.

Tom Dunne · 13-01-2018 10:40AM

Look, lecturers will do their best for you, within the constraints of the Quality Assurance procedures and institutional regulations.

I recently dealt with a situation where a student actually took the wrong exam paper. It went to the highest level in the institution and a fair and equitable solution was found.

So no, it is not ideal, but don't sweat it. As others have said, you have gone about it the right way and once the results are released, you can discuss it further with your lecturer.

Avatar MIA · 13-01-2018 10:45AM

degra22 wrote: »

I just do not know HOW I missed it this time.

Surely the exam structure was well known in advance due to repeat of past exam papers or covered well in advance by the lecturer. Surely the examiner didn't expect people to pick up the exam paper and for the student to come across the format cold.

Officially the only correct response is to mark you per the exam structure. But, I imagine there is more scope for lecturer intervention in University exams compares to, say. professional exams.

Tenigate · 13-01-2018 11:01AM

It's not the lecturer's decision. They can only put your case forward. There is an exam board that approves the paper and oversees that it's marked fairly and consistently.

No 2 ways about it, you made a silly mistake.

Another candidate may have misread question 1, thus scoring no marks despite a good answer. Another may have began question 2, decided to answer question 3 instead, then simply ran out of time for question 1. Someone else could have thought they were answering question 1, but actually had the wrong page open. Maybe someone else thought question 3 was the compulsory question. And someone else thought only 1 of the 3 questions was required.

So, what's the fairest way to mark all these candidates?

Tenigate · 13-01-2018 11:06AM

Avatar MIA wrote: »

But, I imagine there is more scope for lecturer intervention in University exams compares to, say. professional exams.

I reckon there isn't as much as you think for exam situations. The best they could do is mark the rest of the paper easy, and even then, within reason as the script may be chosen for review. They may be able to adjust CA marks to increase the overall grade, or bump a fail up to a pass.

Tom Dunne · 13-01-2018 11:44AM

Tenigate wrote: »

There is an exam board that approves the paper and oversees that it's marked fairly and consistently.

I wouldn't necessarily agree.

The exam board ratifies the grade for the subject/module, which may consists of other assessments, in addition to the exam. Issues such as this may be raised for discussion and ratification, but ensuring a paper is marked fairly and consistently is within the realm of the Quality Assurance processes, in particular, the internal and external examiners.

In this particular scenario, it would not be unusual for this paper to be referred to the external examiner prior to the exam board, and then a recommendation presented for ratification.

ignorance is strength · 13-01-2018 01:47PM

Tenigate wrote: »

Another candidate may have misread question 1, thus scoring no marks despite a good answer. Another may have began question 2, decided to answer question 3 instead, then simply ran out of time for question 1. Someone else could have thought they were answering question 1, but actually had the wrong page open. Maybe someone else thought question 3 was the compulsory question. And someone else thought only 1 of the 3 questions was required.

So, what's the fairest way to mark all these candidates?

If you’re an academic, I hope to christ your subject doesn’t require critical thinking.

////
mod warning issued. Stick to OP's request for info.
Cool the jets going forward.
Thanks
Mod

bduffy · 13-01-2018 02:13PM

This situation happens so it is not unusual for it to be raised at the exam board. In some cases a repeat exam without penalty may be an option if it throws your grades significantly.

degra22 · 13-01-2018 02:59PM

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Surely the exam structure was well known in advance due to repeat of past exam papers or covered well in advance by the lecturer. Surely the examiner didn't expect people to pick up the exam paper and for the student to come across the format cold.

Officially the only correct response is to mark you per the exam structure. But, I imagine there is more scope for lecturer intervention in University exams compares to, say. professional exams.

oh 100% we were all told before xmas in our last class in December that 1 was compulsory. Its been compulsory on all the past papers of which I've looked at and done as study.

This is NO-ONES fault but my own. The Lecturer knows me as a decent student. I've not missed a lecturer bar once where it was family related and I mailed ahead.

Like I said, it was an error on my behalf. I'm still sick to my stomach today. More so because I actually ticked question 1 to come back and do after 3 but at the last moment I picked 2.

Funnily enough, another classmate missed it also but he just so happened to do question 1.

degra22 · 13-01-2018 03:04PM

bduffy wrote: »

This situation happens so it is not unusual for it to be raised at the exam board. In some cases a repeat exam without penalty may be an option if it throws your grades significantly.

This is what I'm hoping for. I would be delighted with this result.

Just so everyone is aware, I take FULL responsibility. I'm not asking for special treatment, just hoping for it

. I'm hoping the lecturer can take onboard my continuous interaction in class and good results to date. But as cited by many of you it could well be out of his hands. If it is, I'll just have to take it on the chin and move on.

Thank you all for your feedback, whilst it hasn't put my mind to rest at all

it was good to discuss it with people in academic settings to get their feedback.

ignorance is strength · 13-01-2018 11:57PM

For the purposes of what follows, I'm assuming that the questions as presented on the paper were numbered 1,2,3 and that the compulsory question wasn't distinguished from the other two questions (e.g. by extra separation). Also, I'm not a lecturer.

Imagine a test given to a group of people that had a trivial task as its object - circling the first vowel in every word of a sentence, or some such. If you run the experiment multiple times and with a big enough sample size, a consistent proportion of people will make a mistake in the test. Some of those will have a cognitive impairment like dyslexia, but others will have no significant "risk factor" distinguishing them from the rest of the population - they may not have made such a mistake before and may never again. In each running of the experiment, those who made a mistake are drawn semi-randomly from the sample. In any situation where there is uncertainty and stress, there is a consistent statistical likelihood of a typical participant making an error. And that proportion is determined by the nature of the test.

In this case, the onus was on the test-setter to create choice architecture (though I am not using this term in the way it is traditionally understood) that would have, within reasonable limits, prevented any such error. Unless the exam wasn't as I characterise it above, the fact that you, a diligent and successful student, were able to make that mistake should alert you to the fact that the format of the exam was deficient.

Avatar MIA · 14-01-2018 09:54AM

ignorance is strength wrote: »

For the purposes of what follows, I'm assuming that the questions as presented on the paper were numbered 1,2,3 and that the compulsory question wasn't distinguished from the other two questions (e.g. by extra separation). Also, I'm not a lecturer.

Imagine a test given to a group of people that had a trivial task as its object - circling the first vowel in every word of a sentence, or some such. If you run the experiment multiple times and with a big enough sample size, a consistent proportion of people will make a mistake in the test. Some of those will have a cognitive impairment like dyslexia, but others will have no significant "risk factor" distinguishing them from the rest of the population - they may not have made such a mistake before and may never again. In each running of the experiment, those who made a mistake are drawn semi-randomly from the sample. In any situation where there is uncertainty and stress, there is a consistent statistical likelihood of a typical participant making an error. And that proportion is determined by the nature of the test.

In this case, the onus was on the test-setter to create choice architecture (though I am not using this term in the way it is traditionally understood) that would have, within reasonable limits, prevented any such error. Unless the exam wasn't as I characterise it above, the fact that you, a diligent and successful student, were able to make that mistake should alert you to the fact that the format of the exam was deficient.

A student made a mistake ergo it wasn't their fault ? :rolleyes:

Tom Dunne · 14-01-2018 10:41AM

ignorance is strength wrote: »

In this case, the onus was on the test-setter to create choice architecture

They do.

In the profession we call it the "instructions on the cover page".

ignorance is strength · 14-01-2018 04:44PM

Avatar MIA wrote: »

A student made a mistake ergo it wasn't their fault ? :rolleyes:

Nope.

Tom Dunne wrote: »

They do.

In the profession we call it the "instructions on the cover page".

Wilfully facile! You should be embarrassed for such little engagement with my subtle argument.

MOD: OK Seriously, just argue the point.
LAst chance
Rest of yis... stay on topic or hit the ignore button. Posts are being deleted.
I'm trying to watch Dances With the Stars here!!!

evolving_doors · 14-01-2018 07:51PM

Tom Dunne wrote: »

They do.

In the profession we call it the "instructions on the cover page".

Avatar MIA wrote: »

A student made a mistake ergo it wasn't their fault ? :rolleyes:

Maybe there was an ambiguity in the question construction. If there is within the exam then I'd assume it might negate the cover instructions.

I spotted 2 seperate ambiguities when correcting state exams. Other teachers took the view of 'meh! they should have known anyway' carry on... so I had to argue the case and annoy a lot of people, lost in the end, but they altered the questions accordingly the following year.

But who knows unless we actually see the exam paper.

bduffy · 14-01-2018 08:05PM

This was a Masters paper and so the class will be small compared to State exams. A letter to the course coordinators and a request of a resit without bias might do the trick.
I've seen similar happen at other college exam boards and it sometimes works. Theres no unfair advantage at play here to others as there's no competition for a follow on course (like in the Leaving Cert).
If there was a prize for best grade then it may be a different case.......

Tenigate · 14-01-2018 08:27PM

I'd agree.. no harm in asking.

I'd disagree about the bit about it not being competitive. If that was the case, a degree would have a pass or fail result rather than gpa's issued and the class of degree printed on the cert.

bduffy · 14-01-2018 08:40PM

Tenigate wrote: »

I'd agree.. no harm in asking.

I'd disagree about the bit about it not being competitive. If that was the case, a degree would have a pass or fail result rather than gpa's issued and the class of degree printed on the cert.

Fair enough. To clarify my comment, competition here would be for advancement to a follow on course (for example, only top 10 Cert students get into Diploma class), but as this is a Level 9 then it's the highest exam level available (not considering professional Chartered exams).
Again, I've seen a fair few things get through with approval at exam boards. Disproportionate penalties serve no one's interest.

degra22 · 15-01-2018 09:44AM

My class were gutted for me

They were the ones saying go and speak to the lecturer. We have a great group who are all close knit and none of them would mind if I was marked on the 2 I did, in fact plenty of them stated they would talk to lecturer if it came to it.

People arguing that this was anyone's fault bar my own, it wasn't

. I had a brainfart, all be it a costly one

Lets see what happens, no word back from Lecturer as of yet.

Question for Lecturer.

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