Proposal Argument
March 15, 2011
Dr. Kevin R. Carman
Dean of the College of Science
A103 Life Sciences Annex/336 Hatcher Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Dear Dr. Carman:
I called my friend as I was leaving the testing center to see how she had done on her business calculus exam. We had surprisingly similar results, and neither of us were pleased to say we received a D. When I asked what she had got wrong, she couldn’t tell me, because she did not know. This frustrated me because we had no feedback on the exam to show how we could better our scores for the next test. I told her that I had accidentally calculated the number backwards, and we discussed how unfair we thought the testing center was. After surveying 60 students here at LSU, and a couple students from other schools, I came to find out that most students feel the same way about computer-based testing. I would like to address to you the flaws of the testing center (specifically for math classes) and list some possible ways to fix the problems students are currently facing. You may not think computer based testing is a big problem with students on LSU’s campus, but it is indeed a major issue that is continuously increasing. When conducting a random survey of 60 students on campus about computer-based testing, 48% of students said that there were distractions in the testing center, and 62% of those students said these distractions affected their grades. Of course, there are distractions everywhere, but people are constantly moving around in the testing center and making it hard for students taking tests to concentrate. One of the students surveyed said some distractions include “the constant movement and ‘security’ like work personnel.” These distractions could cause the grades to be lower than expected, which could in turn give professors extra work having to throw out questions that the majority missed. Computer-based testing can cause more stress than relief for most students. Another flaw involved in
Dr. Kevin R. Carman
Dean of the College of Science
A103 Life Sciences Annex/336 Hatcher Hall
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Dear Dr. Carman:
I called my friend as I was leaving the testing center to see how she had done on her business calculus exam. We had surprisingly similar results, and neither of us were pleased to say we received a D. When I asked what she had got wrong, she couldn’t tell me, because she did not know. This frustrated me because we had no feedback on the exam to show how we could better our scores for the next test. I told her that I had accidentally calculated the number backwards, and we discussed how unfair we thought the testing center was. After surveying 60 students here at LSU, and a couple students from other schools, I came to find out that most students feel the same way about computer-based testing. I would like to address to you the flaws of the testing center (specifically for math classes) and list some possible ways to fix the problems students are currently facing. You may not think computer based testing is a big problem with students on LSU’s campus, but it is indeed a major issue that is continuously increasing. When conducting a random survey of 60 students on campus about computer-based testing, 48% of students said that there were distractions in the testing center, and 62% of those students said these distractions affected their grades. Of course, there are distractions everywhere, but people are constantly moving around in the testing center and making it hard for students taking tests to concentrate. One of the students surveyed said some distractions include “the constant movement and ‘security’ like work personnel.” These distractions could cause the grades to be lower than expected, which could in turn give professors extra work having to throw out questions that the majority missed. Computer-based testing can cause more stress than relief for most students. Another flaw involved in
References: Kopcso, Debra. Personal Interview. 10 March 2011. Malbrough, Shannon. “Computer-Based Testing.” Survey. 8 March 2011. Martin, Mark. "Issues & Answers." Online Posting to Office of the Chancellor. Web. 12 Mar 2011. Vaughn, Dottie. Personal Interview. 16 March 2011.