This is the third time in the last month I have had an academic tell my class (different classes) that they have decided not to do final exams. Because "some students can't cope with time pressure" or "it's not fair on everyone" or "I don't believe in exams". They couch it in the language of "equity", despite the fact that it clearly screws over students who are good at exams/aren't as good as assignments... This, on top of making practicals "non-compulsory", or removing lab/field classes altogether...
This ain't my first rodeo. I've been around for a while. I've never seen this before, even in the years immediately post-Covid...
And this isn't gender studies. This is, supposedly, Science and GIS.
I'm not sure how widespread this is, but I've heard from other students that more and more courses are going down this route, all very suddenly...
This despite the fact that students are much more likely to cheat on assignments than exams (obviously), and the "threat" of things like ChatGPT.
Not just at my Uni, either. Apparently this is happening elsewhere in Aus... Though my Uni has been particularly spiteful about it, with the removal of after-hours study spaces, and things like not even allowing library access to part time students on Sundays (yes, really)...
Something is very, very rotten in the state of Denmark. Not sure if other people have seen similar, in other countries, but if this is the state of "Higher Ed", even beyond all the woke shit..? Wow, we are so fucked...
Why is this bad?
Because it gives the student who memorized the solution to the exact problem in the coursework without understanding the functional application of the broader concepts an equal score to the student who has a full grasp of the subject.
But in reality one is a capable and useful problem solver and the other is a very well spoken parrot.
Depending on what you are studying, memorization is important. I assume medicine, legal, biology, chemistry would need a very good amount of memorization.
But I do get your point in most fields.
Memorizing every medication on the market doesn't help you if you can only rattle off their names and uses when presented with a problem.
For sure, I'm not saying it is the only thing that matters, I'm just saying is important.