Having a go at examinations

The relevance of the examinations to Maltese society has led leading politicians to make suggestions on the University's assessment systems. Opposition leader Joseph Muscat mentioned a number of times - as if it was a national catastrophe and an unforgivable wrongdoing -that there were some mistakes in the Matsec examination papers. Social Policy Minister John Dalli suggested the reduction of the Medical School's entry requirement grades from B to C in order to recruit more students and to help solve shortage of doctors.

These comments all hint at questioning the rationale of the examination system as our sole method of assessment for entry, progress and graduation stages. But notwithstanding all the criticism about examinations, they are still considered to be less subject to bias than any other means of assessment available.

Examinations are known to induce stress in those sitting them and sometimes also in those setting them. Examinations are necessary to assess candidates' knowledge of facts and academic ability. In Malta, even at our University, the importance of examinations and the way they are conducted is perhaps overrated. They are often considered to be the all of one's being.

Examinations are rated by a number of Maltese as their first priority, sometimes coming even before health. Because of this excessive and exasperated relevance laid on examinations, it has been found that the way examinations are held may produce unwarranted elation in those candidates who are successful and despair in those who are not.

Recent decades have witnessed major changes in technology and education. Student participation in education through communication between teacher and student has evolved considerably. This has led to changes in educational requirements and subsequently changes in assessment.

The development of education and the curriculum must prepare graduates for today's needs and provide the skills necessary for lifelong learning. Quality assurance in education are an accepted practice.

This applies also to assessment and examination techniques. In education, quality assurance aims to demonstrate that the educational programme concerned is preparing students for contemporary needs and that students have acquired the necessary skills.

This emphasises the need to develop examination papers and assessment that evaluate not only students' ability to recall acquired knowledge but also at their ability to apply the knowledge to practice. Once the education programme is set at the correct quality and with clear objectives, one has to ensure the assessment strategies use tests to show the education programme is accomplishing its intended objectives.

Are the University's examinations and assessment methods meeting these important quality requirements? This year, a number of rigorous rules that used to be mainly applied to examinations were extended to all tests involved in the assessment of student performance for each and every credit. This involves the use of index numbers and the requirement of a board of examiners involving three examiners.

The assistance of external examiners has been considered a commendable exercise and the expense involved is more than justified. The suggested application of strict controls in the appointment of external examiners by people hardly familiar to the subject was thankfully not applied. A number of principles and characteristics of the examination were harmonised, including the preparation of appraisal schemes and approaches and methods that are adopted to prepare the necessary documentation mainly through the University's Student Information Management System.

The University would be wise to consider other assessment practices which may help identify both the students meeting the minimum educational needs to be able to carry on with a University education with profit, and those deserving to graduate with a University degree.

Such assessment could include a combination of documentation, competence, certification, diagnostic, formative and self-assessments, all conducted with a proper measurement of reliability and validity.