Case Study 4: Inspiring students to do their best
A Case Study from the University sector. Part of the Enhancing the Effectiveness of Tertiary Teaching and Learning through Assessment project.
The University sector
Name: Professor Terry Healy
Organisation: The University of Waikato
Email: t.healy@waikato.ac.nz
Researcher: Jill Musgrave
In brief
'I'm not interested in what students don't know. I'm interested in them impressing me with what they do know.'
A university lecturer, who sees his role as being similar to that of a sports coach, adopted two strategies to inspire students to aim for excellence. The first strategy consists of giving students bonus marks for work that exceeds the normal expectation, and the second strategy encourages students to gain formative feedback for model essay answers in preparation for the final examination.
It is reported that students respond well to these strategies and say that they didn't know they could do so well.