Examinations and learning assessment shape day-to-day life of faculty and students. They are a permanent feature of our education as we move from primary school through to vocational training programmes, university degrees and continued professional development. But why do we actually have exams? What is their purpose? What are the best ways to design exams and assessment? And what about students’ fear of exams, both before and during the exam itself?

These and many other questions will be discussed at this year’s Day of Teaching and Learning on Thursday 25 November 2021, titled ‘Landing points? Assessment formats and perspectives’. In collaboration with faculty and students at the University of Oldenburg, a varied programme featuring different perspectives on exams and assessment has been put together.

All University of Oldenburg faculty, students and staff are invited to attend the day, and to get some inspiration, to ask questions and to connect with each other.  

Theoretical perspectives from pedagogy, philosophy and economics

In a joint session, Heinke Röbken, Till-Sebastian Idel and Paul Blattner will be approaching the topic of examinations as instructors and researchers at the university from three different theoretical perspectives. Heinke Röbken, Professor of Educational Management (School I), will use studies in education economics to counter common myths with empirical research about examinations and grading at universities. Using Michel Foucault’s theory of power, Paul Blattner, from the Institute of Philosophy (School IV), will be exploring the moments in and aspects of examinations that constitute the subject. Till-Sebastian Idel, Professor of School Pedagogy and General Didactics (School I), will address the ambivalent relationship between pedagogy and examinations. The subsequent conversation will provide the opportunity for further discussion with the speakers.

Practical inspiration for assessment and exam design

A variety of practical perspectives on exams and assessment will be presented and discussed during five parallel sessions.

Dr Dorthe Behrens (School I, Institute of Educational Sciences) and students Lisa Brahmsmann, Thanh Hang Dao and Markus Kempe will be presenting ideas for relevant examination methods in schools today, as developed by students in an educational science seminar. The group will also present and discuss the examination format used in the seminar as an example for contemporary examination at the university.

In her presentation, Natalie Dutescu (School IV, Institute of Philosophy) will focus on the ethical assessment design, in particular the question of preventing arbitrariness. She will be discussing ways to transparently prepare and conduct examinations. 

E-portfolios are a supporting, process-oriented examination format. In his talk, Anatolij Fandrich (School II, Department of Computing Science) will be speaking about his course Soft Skills and Technical Competence, in which students make objects using a 3D printer, laser cutter and micro-controllers and document the work on their project in an e-portfolio.

Students often have very different backgrounds – both in terms of their studying experience as well as in examination situations. In their talk, Ayla Satilmis (Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, focus on gender and diversity) and Carolin Keune (Student Representative Committee) will be discussing designing exams that take that diversity into account.

Many students feel anxious about exams. In his presentation at the Day of Teaching and Learning, Wilfried Schumann (Head of the Psychological Counselling Services offered by the university and Studentenwerk) will be presenting a number of methods that students can use to reduce their exam-related stress – alone or in collaboration with their instructors.

Lunch break: Time to move and recharge with power food 

During the lunch break, participants will have the chance to take an active break organized by the University Sports Office or attend a live cooking session, in which you can prepare power food to help you concentrate during exams. Those interested in taking part in the cook-along can register for the Live Cooking group after signing up for the TdLL on Stud.IP. You will receive the shopping list a few days in advance.

Students’ research perspectives on the future 

Five student research groups have explored various aspects of the “Future” and will present their results in a poster session. They will discuss interpretations of the term “future” in climate change movements (School IV), how climate change affects the future of stony corals (School V), various meanings of “home” in migration (School III), the impact of election forecasts on voter behaviour (School I) and future methods of predicting the course of Alzheimer’s disease (School VI).

Students help shape changes at the university

How is my university changing? And how can I be part of this change? This discussion focuses on students who are involved as “DigitalChangeMakers” at their universities. “DigitalChangeMakers” are a student working group organised by the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung (HFD), a think tank that facilitates discourse on higher education in the digital age. They will be talking about which university-wide topics they have a say in, why they think it is important to get involved and how they benefit from being part of and shaping the change processes.

Presentation of the Award for Excellence in Teaching

This year’s winners of the University of Oldenburg’s Award for Excellence in Teaching will be announced at the end of the Day of Teaching and Learning. The prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Best Course, Research-Based Learning and Best Course Evaluation. In the first two categories, students had the opportunity to nominate courses. In the final category, faculty members could apply for this award themselves by submitting their course evaluations. The patron of the Award for Excellence in Teaching, which is sponsored by University Society Oldenburg, is the Vice President for Instruction and International Affairs.

Further Information

Programme (in German) Register here Award for Excellence in Teaching