Part I:  Generating Questions
You will form groups and generate questions for the upcoming oral examination. Each group member should come to class with sample questions and answers to be considered by the group for each chapter.  The group will review the individual examples, and choose and revise/edit the questions and answers they like the best.  Each group will submit 5 questions from Chapter 13 and 5 questions for Chapter 14.

Part II:  Choosing Questions
I will choose 8 of the questions generated by groups for the exam.  I reserve the right to edit the questions generated if I feel they need to be changed.  I also reserve the right to add questions to the list if an area I feel is important has not be asked by any group.  I will provide a list of those questions for you to use in preparation.  The list will be sent out via e-mail by Wednesday, November 13.

Part III:  The Interview
The examination with be a 1 on 1 interview in my office, Olin 314.  You will not be allowed to have outside materials to look at, but you will have a pencil and paper that you can use to make notes for yourself.  You will also have a printed copy of the questions for your reference.

I will ask you a question, and you can take a few moments to gather your thoughts and make any notes you wish.  I will not tell you if you have gotten a question right or wrong, but I will ask for any clarification that I need so that I can be sure I understand what you want to say.  If you cannot remember a part of the information, we will return to that question before we end the interview to give you an additional opportunity to share all you know.

Following each official question, I will ask a follow-up question.  This question does not have a right or wrong answer, and you can answer however you wish.  This is used to gage your ability to adapt and to organize your thoughts.

The examination should take approximately 20 minutes.  I will ask 2 or 3 questions (depending on length) from the list I distribute.
 

Part I:  Individual Preparation
While reading Chapter 13 and Chapter 14 look for important concepts that you think should be covered by exam questions.  Draft example questions that you will bring to class.

Questions display the following:

1. Questions should be able to be answered in a concise amount of time.  They should be “essay” style questions that would be answered in 2-5 short paragraphs if they were on a written test.

2. Questions should contain some component of definition or identification of material covered in the chapter.

3. Questions should contain some component of application for applying the definition to a situation or providing an example that demonstrates how the definition is lived out.

4. The best questions ask for students to make connections between concepts in a meaningful way.  The best questions are not arbitrary in asking for the connection.

5. Questions should do more than ask for a definition.  They should challenge a person to think and organize their thoughts.  They may provide an opportunity to “evaluate” the usefulness of a concept from the book, or they may ask a person to offer advice based on what they’ve read or discussed in class.

6. Try to generate your answer first, then concentrate on the type of questions that would be answered in this way.  For example, lets say that you think it is important to be able to compare and contrast Duck’s dissolution stages and Knapp’s stages of coming apart.  You identify X similarities and X differences that you believe are important.  With this answer in mind, you need to craft a question that asks for this type of answer.

7. Questions should not be a single sentence.  For example, you may add clarifying sentences, or create example paragraphs that can be used for application.

8. You should provide an answer along with the question.

Part II:  Group Review
Each group should review the individual contributions, and choose the ones they feel are best.  Groups can combine the questions of two people if they like parts of questions about the same topic.  The group must choose 5 questions total from chapter 13 and 5 total from chapter 14.

 
Part III:  Grading
Each group will be graded on the quality of the questions they generate.  The questions will be graded on how well they fit the criteria above, as well as:
A) Clarity – How easy is the question to understand?
B) Usefulness – Does the question focus on a concept from the chapters that is not trivial?
C) Depth – Does the question challenge the test-taker?
D) Creativity – Does the question show thoughtful and creative construction?
E) Fit – Does the question ask for an application of ideas to real life?

Total Points:  10