Letter to Dean Nicol

February 17, 2014
Below is an email I submitted to Dean Nicol explaining my reasons for giving prepared written questions orally. Dean Nicol acknowledged seeing the email. He nor any other person at Cuttington responded to it.

Since I have never been told, seen in writing the reasons for my dismissal, or given the opportunity to explain my action, I can only surmise the reason is insubordination of the Dean's request to adhere to the University's final exam policy.

"19 January, 2014

Dear Dean Nicol,

Almost all questions in life, personal and professional, are spoken. The listener is expected to interpret and understand the questioner. The more important the question, the more responsibility is placed on the listener to respond correctly. University exams are one area where a person’s knowledge is directly tested. Yet since the questions to these exams are rarely spoken, this critical listening skill in life is rarely experienced or considered a part of a person’s education.

From the first day of my classes at Cuttington, my teaching method centers on oral communication of both the subject matter and the assessment of student’s comprehension. This method comes from the need to teach complicated subject material without a textbook, the desire to expose the students to a different teaching technique, and for students to learn how to orally phrase scientific questions. 

At each class a student is selected at random to prepare a written list of ten questions on that day’s material to be given to fellow students at the beginning of the next class. The selected student then draws names of students at random to ask a question from his/her prepared list. The student answers orally. This technique gives experience to the student in asking the question and for the students being asked. Students are exposed to questioners with varying styles of asking questions and patterns of speech. Students are both eager to be questioners’ and seem better prepared to answer questions correctly in front of their peers. 

This technique also provides the instructor with information which is hard to learn otherwise, outside of an exam, namely what part of the previous lecture did the questioner not understand. Omissions of lecture topics are good indicators that the questioner and probably other students are having difficulty, for students only ask questions of which they are sure of the answers.  Students can be coached on the exactitude of their questions and answers. This technique also gives the instructor exposure to students who otherwise are quiet in the classroom.

  

Asking prepared questions orally during critical mid-term and final exams puts added pressure on the instructor to make sure the questions are understood by the students. Each question is repeated twice, repeated again or rephrased if necessary to insure comprehension and obviate bad questions. This technique forces the student to listen carefully to the question. Students are told to concentrate on writing the answer not the question, although writing the question is not prohibited. All answers are submitted in writing, not orally. Before the next question is read, students are asked if they need more time. There is no time limit on answering any question. A student may ask that a previous question be repeated.

My experience is the method of testing, especially on final exams, usually varies depending on the number of students to be tested and the instructor’s direct participation. A standardize written test given at the same time is a widely used method to insure test integrity for courses with multiple sections and/or instructors. It is rare this method of testing is done for upper level courses and for students in a single section. Exams for upper level subjects and students are usually left to the discretion of the instructor at major universities.

As to my reticence to submit written questions by the university’s submission deadline and adhere to the university’s  written testing methods, all my efforts this entire semester are based on asking written questions orally. My students have been exposed to only written questions presented orally. They have studied and prepared accordingly. A departure from this testing method undermines my semester’s work to prepare them for the outside world of oral questions. To their credit, they are ready to demonstrate their listening skills and subject knowledge.

If submitting my written questions is what you desire, I am happy to do so, although do not see the point and may in fact increase the risk of premature exposure. I welcome you or your designate to sit in during my final exams to see if my examination method complies with the intent of university standards. If you so deem my testing method of presenting written questions orally are substandard, I shall be happy to conduct all my exams from questions given to students in writing next semester.

I hope you take my position as it is intended as a way to introduce new methods to Cuttington students and not as a challenge to your responsibilities as dean.

Respectfully yours,

Dr. Nicholas Shuraleff "