PCP: Should the Final Exam be Weighted Less Heavily? (Negative)

Recently, Alberta Education decreased the worth of the provincial high school diploma exam. For those unfamiliar to the provincial final high school exams of Alberta, here are some quick facts:

• Since 1984, Alberta Education maintained that provincial final exams should be worth 50% of a students final grade in major courses such as grade 12 English and Math.
• This was done in an effort to prevent grade inflation in regions and maintain standards across the province.
• These final grades are used in university applications.

This initiative that Alberta Education passed would decrease the worth of the provincial final exam from 50% to 30% so that less pressure is placed on the students taking these provincial final exams that could make or break their futures. This initiative would release some stress from countless students across the province, but to pose a thought experiment: what would happen if the University of Waterloo decreased the worth of final exams in major courses? I propose that the way grading is currently conducted is a better method of ensuring standards are met for university programs.

Using the recently passed proposal by Alberta Education to lower final exam weighting for final grades has no application in university and especially engineering. With lower final exams weighting for high school students, grade inflation may occur as teachers want to help the students get as high a grade as possible to apply to university, and  a standardized test can bring their grade down. It is beneficial for the high school students in Alberta but it is not applicable to university or engineering. Engineering programs at universities are a stepping stone to professional designation. The school has to maintain a minimum standard of education that all students in the program must meet so it can remain an accredited program. In engineering, a final exam is a cumulative exam that will test the student on any aspect of the course. To ensure that students understand the course material, these huge exams at the end of the course test the students to see if they can meet these bare minimum requirements.

Engineering courses require more technical knowledge and teach students how to think and solve problems. Some courses do exist where the final is either weighed very little or does not exist at all. These courses have other things to assess knowledge and understanding of the course material such as term papers and lab reports. For courses such as English, only have a term paper rather than final exams as a cumulative method of grading is suitable for the nature of the course. English courses teach the students how to write and how to properly present their arguments. The term paper is a more accurate assessment of English writing skills than a final exam. For an engineering course like calculus, a final examination would be the best way to assessing understanding of the course because the student would need to apply every technique and concept from throughout the term. How much a final exam is weighed also depends on the course content and if there is a practical aspect to the course; having labs and reports would encourage students to learn about real life applications of the concepts being taught in class. The grading breakdown would have to be determined on a course by course basis, taking into account the type of material and concepts covered. A more heavily weighed final exam also gives students one last opportunity to make a massive effort to do well after a lack luster performance throughout the term. These last ditch efforts to learn all the material and prove themselves academically should not be taken away.

Because of the weighting of finals, students often feel an increase of stress right before final exams and this stress can lead to lower academic performance. There are bright and hardworking students who, due to test anxiety and other personal factors, have difficulty writing exams as well as others. If you do feel like you have issues with test anxiety, there are resources that can help you succeed academically such as the Student Success Office or Counselling Services. They can help provide the support you need to improve your academic performance. If you still feel like your grades could be better and that the final exam stresses affect your performance negatively, remember that other than for grad school, grades have very little effect on the direction of your career. Grades can add credibility to your name, to show you are hardworking and knowing enough of the material as prescribed by the university, but many employers understand that grades are not everything. Experience proves how much applicable knowledge have earned and soft skills show how you will perform on the job. Soft skills such as communication and how you fit into the work environment and will also have a huge impact on an employers decision to hire you.

After learning how to cope with exam stress, it is important to realize that these stresses can also happen in the work place. When we enter the workforce as full time engineers or even now on co-op, you will face many challenges and difficulties. These problems can not always be predicted and can appear at any time, cropping up from personal issues or unforeseeable circumstances. The stresses of final exams help prepare students for any of those sudden stresses that they may face while working on the job. In the work place, the stresses are reduced because you can refer to research papers and research from the internet to help you solve the problem. Engineering teaches you how to apply the knowledge to solve the problems. If you are able to do that even under a multitude of stresses such as sleep deprivation and being over caffeinated, then you can also do solve problems well enough while moderately well fed and being of sound mind.

Final exams can be the bane to the existence of engineering students, a looming figure in the distance that will sneak up on students. Stresses felt by students are necessary for their professional development and that academic performance is important up to a certain point in deciding a career path. Some people can rely on pure talent and their own cleverness to succeed, but if you are hardworking and capable it will show in your work experience and in your grades. Giving up is not an option; heavily weighed final exams should be seen as one last opportunity to prove your understanding of the course rather than an obstacle in your academic career.