Reference group
| Contacts |
|---|
| gjermuly@stud.ntnu.no |
| athoel@stud.ntnu.no |
Consultation on format of examination
The department has asked that all modules without any graded assessments be assigned pass/fail examinations. This is applicable to TMA4165. This email is a consultation on the format of the examination, seeking a solution that seems fair to all.
The primary disadvantage of a traditional worksheet-style examination in a take-home setting is that it can become so collaborative an exercise that not everyone has even to attempt each question. This has the apparent effect of rendering even a pass/fail assessment of a script meaningless.
An alternative proposal is that each candidate be asked to write an essay of approximately 1500 words in length, excluding figures and formulae. In the four-hour allotted time of the examination, you choose one from a list of 4 - 10 different topics on which you will be asked to write, from all applicable perspectives outlined in the learning objectives, to as great a depth as possible, or as you believe appropriate, within length constraints. These topics will be topics related to dynamical systems, topics that you will have encountered over lecture but perhaps not in great detail. You will be marked for comprehensiveness of the perspectives on which you have written your essay in breadth and depth. You will also be marked for the continuity and consistency of mathematical arguments presented, so, for example, a glaring gap in reasoning might suggest that you have not in fact understood the topic on which you have written. You will NOT be marked for flair and style, but on the other hand, I am not looking for a bullet-point list of facts. Your scripts can either be typed up in LaTeX, or produced by some other means, and even written by hand and photographed/scanned and uploaded via Inspera. Legibility will be essential. Plagiarism, as much as detected, will result in immediate failure.
This is an appeal for your reasoned opinions on this proposal, which you can send in to your reference group representatives at [athoel@stud.ntnu.no] or at [gjermuly@stud.ntnu.no] by the end of the week. It will also be helpful for the organization of this examination, whichever final form it may take, to un-register as promptly as you can, if you have already made up your mind not to participate in the examination for this module.