Tuesday, October 18, 2011

New final Exam

Here is what I am giving to my students for the Final Assessment. 

Math 31 Final Assessment
This assessment will be in addition to a written component.  The written component and this assessment will both be worth 15% of your final grade.  In this course we covered many outcomes, the outcomes which are important to success in future calculus courses are:
·         Slope at a point, using first principles.
·         Limits
o   when do they exist and not exist
o   one sided limits.
o   Limits as x approaches infinity
·         Derivatives using, chain, product, quotient, and implicit differentiation rules of functions which have:
o   Trigonometry
o   Polynomials
o   Exponential
o   Natural Logs
·         Absolute and relative maximums and minimums.
·         Related Rates.
·         Curve Sketching.
·         Integration rules of functions which have:
o   Trigonometry
o   Polynomials
o   Exponential
o   Natural Logs
·         Determining area between two functions, both graphically and algebraically.
You must demonstrate your knowledge of all the outcomes anyway you want.  Your presentation can take any form(s) you would like, a powerpoint presentation, a prezi, a video, a skit, etc.  The presentation will be as long as it takes to demonstrate your understanding; however 30 minutes is the maximum the presentation should be.  You will be presenting in front of a panel of judges, one of which will NOT be a math teacher.  You must relate most of your knowledge to a real world application and demonstrate how calculus is used outside of the math classroom.  After the presentation, 10 minutes will be allotted for questioning from the judges.  Your mark will be decided by the judges and based on your presentation and your answers from the questions you are asked.
You may work in groups up to 3; however you will each receive a separate mark and will be differentiated by your individual answers of the questions from the judges.

Here is a rubric I will use to assess their knowledge.
Superior
Adequate
Minimal
Inadequate
Content
The speaker provides a variety of types of content appropriate, such as generalizations, details, examples and various forms of evidence. The speaker adapts the content in a specific way to the listener and situation.
The speaker focuses primarily on relevant content. The speaker sticks to the topic. The speaker adapts the content in a general way to the listener and the situation.
The speaker includes some irrelevant content. The speaker wanders off the topic. The speaker uses words and concepts which are inappropriate for the knowledge and experiences of the listener (e.g., slang, jargon, technical language).
The speaker says practically nothing. The speaker focuses primarily on irrelevant content. The speaker appears to ignore the listener and the situation.
Organization
The message is overtly organized. The speaker helps the listener understand the sequence and relationships of ideas by using organizational aids such as announcing the topic, previewing the organization, using transitions, and summarizing.
The message is organized. The listener has no difficulty understanding the sequence and relationships among the ideas in the message. The ideas in the message can outlined easily.
The organization of the message is mixed up and random. The listener must make some assumptions about the sequence and relationship of ideas.
The message is so disorganized you cannot understand most of the message.
Creativity
Very original presentation of material; captures the audience’s attention.
Some originality apparent; good variety and blending of materials / media.
Little or no variation; material presented with little originality or interpretation.
Repetitive with little or no variety; insufficient use of materials / media.

4 comments:

  1. Great idea for a final assessment. I look forward to seeing some of the work that your students produce. Will you share it on your blog?

    Derek
    (@hatcherelli)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like the idea; however, I have 100 calculus AB students - I'm figuring at 45 minutes or so each, that would entail more than 3 days of uninterrupted work. How do you deal with the time this takes?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well done Dave. The enthusiasm the kids will show will be amazing. The course I was telling you about included 2 class periods for students to work and the rest was completed on their own. It is amazing what they will come up with!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Where is the mathematical rubric Dave? This looks like a creative writing class rubric.

    ReplyDelete