BCH441 Oral Test instructions

Oral Test instructions

 

 

The oral assessment is a cornerstone of this course; oral tests are far better than any other type of evaluation to establish how you have profited from the course. In this test we will have a discussion that will allow you to demonstrate your level of understanding and engagement with the material, the intuitions you have developed, and your ability to synthesize information into insights.

 

Instructions

 

Scheduling

 

I have sent out eMails to all students with the time and date of their test.

If you have a conflict on your scheduled test date, you are welcome to find someone to swap with; both of you must contact me by e-mail at least two days ahead of the first exam scheduled for either of you. (One e-mail with a CC will do).

 

Preparations

 

In the test, we will discuss aspects of your chosen Integrator Unit, and you will have the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the material. To prepare: make sure you understand the concepts, the computational aspects, the R code, the results, and how to interpret the results. Questions that have led to productive discussion in the past included: whether all steps are necessary, whether there are ways to improve the workflow, whether the results match your expectations, how those expectations are justified, what you have done to test your tools, and to validate your results etc. I'm looking for your ability to analyze, evaluate critically, and synthesize. This is not a "memorize-and-recall" type of test, but you will need to be familiar with the material to make your arguments. Since the test is cumulative, we may also discuss aspects of your previously submitted units and their respective prerequisites.

The Integrator Units all require some preparatory work and this must have been finalized on the Student Wiki by midnight of the day before the test.

 

The Test

 

You must be present alone in a quiet room with a stable internet connection, and connect from the computer that you normally use to work on the assignments. Sorry, but I can't make concessions for technical difficulties with your internet connection during the test. Make sure that you have things worked out well beforehand. Be prepared to share your screen so we can look into some of your project files. (You may want to consider what windows and tabs you have open and what is on your desktop etc.) No other computer (and no mobile device) may be on in the room , and that includes your cellphone, your smart speaker and your shiny new PS5. Your computer may only have a single monitor. Your cell-phone must be at hand and switched off. You cannot wear headphones for the test and your audio input must pick up room sounds normally. We will need to spend a few moments to confirm this.

On your computer, the only open apps are:

• your Web-browser with the submission pages for your last two integrator units open and no other open tabs.
• RStudio, with your course project open
• Zoom

All other apps must be shut down.

Connect to the Zoom conference link you received with your scheduling eMail exactly at your scheduled time.

You need to have your T-card (picture ID) available.

The test will be recorded.

(Additional instructions may be required as we collect experience.)

Expect that you will be asked to write a few lines of code. You need to have your computer prepared accordingly: have an R-Studio session open, and have the ABC-units project loaded and initialized. (Please be advised that you may lose up to 100% of marks if we can't evaluate your code on your machine where it was written.)

 

Checklist

• You know where to be: (quiet room where you are alone and can take the test without interruptions; stable, high-bandwidth internet connection).
• You have your student ID (T-card) ready.
• Your cell phone is on your desk and it is OFF.
• No one in your room except you, and no other computers switched on in the room.
• Your computer is working, your project files are up to date and you can screen-share your desktop and R-studio.
• Your webcam on the computer is working, and you can communicate without headphones.
• You have shut down all apps except for what we need for the test (see above).

 

Marking

 

Please consider the evaluation rubrics. I will tell you your marks at the end of the test.

 

Things that might go wrong

 

If you did not finish your preparations in time, you will be evaluated in the context of the work done up to the point before your test. Obviously, in this situation we can't simply apply our usual extension policy. At best, I can take a (documented) reason for incomplete work into consideration, but to be on the safe side, you need to anticipate problems and complete the work well ahead of the deadline. Completing it two days in advance is a good benchmark.

If you are late to your test, but less than 15 minutes late, you will lose a proportional amount of marks, up to 50%. If you are more than 15 minutes late, this will be evaluated as a missed test.

If you miss your test you will receive zero marks. If you have a documented, acceptable reason for missing the test (according to Faculty policies), we will attempt to find a make up slot. It is unlikely that this will be possible before the last day to submit term work. In that case, the mark of zero will become part of your course grade, and you need to petition the Faculty for an alternative evaluation. In all cases, the preparatory work will be evaluated relative to the original deadline, i.e. missing a test will not reset the clock.

 

In all cases, with all comments and concerns, contact me as soon as possible to work things out. Many students are terrified by oral tests. Understandable. This is the Boss Level. But usually people are surprised that it's actually more fun and satisfying than the abstract, anemic evaluations we usually submit in our academic careers.

 

Notes