Decrying our academic shibboleths!
Andrew Smith SFHEA FRSA ????
UK Academic, HE in FE Specialist, Digital Technology Skills Evangelist, EDI Hero (according to WorldSkillsUK), Author & National Qualification Consultant [degrees | vocational | vendor | academic | apprenticeships]
I enjoy a great word – some words are so good, you must try them out, give them an airing and put them back into common use.
Shibboleth: A custom, principle, or belief?distinguishing?a particular class or group of people, especially a?long-standing?one regarded as?outmoded?or no longer important.
As dear reader, I am sure you know – I often write, calling out old ideas, debunking idiocies, and challenging norms.
With this in mind: I ask, what are our academic shibboleths that we must stop!
For me it is easy – I name the essay, in my mind it remains the long-winded tool, designed to make assessment writing easy, yet life for students difficult and marking hard work for everyone.
Essays are not a quality tool – they are an established, somewhat tired, and now GenerativeAI vulnerable too! So, what do we do – we worry about managing the marking process rather than change this somewhat outmoded shibboleth.
Time and again, I encounter situations, within my own domain and when I am out and about supporting, validation and maintaining academic principles – where I see the same old tired essay principles trotted out in the name of academic standards.
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Think about it – I could create a question like: ‘In no more than 3000 words, critically compare current security practices within at least two public sector organisations?’. That is now, a lot of work for our student, vulnerable to all manner of plagiaristic practices, vague, ambiguous and even with the best intentions – a nightmare to mark.
When I write questions as an academic at my university, I have to think – how well will this be received by our markers, how long will it take them to mark and what is the likely quality of the student work and the comparable marking standards.
Which means, I ask the students to create something, fix something, do something or solve something - then add a tight word count, asking them to explain (with valid referencing) the clever thing they have done.
I will mix theory, academic practice (essay) and good old practical work - albeit at the right level and correct depth. I avoid over using essays, or set really tight word counts, much to the delight of the markers. Getting students to actually think about what it is they must write, rather than spit out prevarications which could be generated by incompetent robot overlords.
Maybe it is time to think and rethink.
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Coordinador Academico en Academia CEDEI
1 å¹´Asking the AI this was the result. I believe that these considerations, in addition to adapting them to our environment, deserve a deeper discussion that is oriented toward the common good. ======== * **Standardization:** Sharing best practices and collaborating on security solutions across public sector organizations can strengthen overall defense. * **Resource Allocation:**?Investing in adequate personnel, training, and advanced security tools is critical for safeguarding sensitive data. * **Continuous Improvement:**?Regularly reviewing and updating security policies to adapt to evolving cyber threats is essential. ======== By implementing a layered security approach encompassing these recommendations, public sector organizations can better protect sensitive information and ensure continued public trust.???
Traditional exams are another area where we could still make big improvements. While they are relatively easy to mark and provide "rigour" they all too often disadvantage technically skilled and practically adept students who just don't do well in exams. I'm definitely in favour of practical exams which test the application of technical skills rather knowledge recall, ideally with a realistic scenario to put it in context. I think the cybersecurity industry is particularly good at this form of assessment.
Former CMI Chartered Companion, now retired. Head of Professional Development and Qualifications at Inspirational Group, Former Member - Task Force Steering Group, Executive Mentor, Cognitive Scientist, Writer & Speaker
1 å¹´I'm right with you Andrew. I would add that in the realm of professional qualifications, it can be very hard to get Awarding Organizations to understand the need or to explore what alternatives might be helpful to all stakeholders. I've been having conversations with them on this very subject for more than 20 years. The phrase 'pushing water uphill with your nose' springs to mind. I've used professional discussions in camera, project-based investigations, evaluative presentations and live team action-learning - but every time it's been such a nightmare to get it past the QA and Moderation process that I've aged 10 years. I think that makes me about 250 years old now...