How Do I Assess This?

This term I am teaching our Foundations of Analysis course to 15 students IBL style.  Third time may be the charm, but I am finding it to be going quite well.  However, I don't want to give them a traditional exam.  So . . .

I am experimenting with oral quizzes.

• Students come to my office in their time.
• They are given a selection of problems to work on that are identical to, or very similar to, ones the class has worked through.  The student chooses a problem.
• They work the problem on the white board in front of me.
• I have them explain their work and why they think what they have done solves the problem.

I have a process rubric that I am still refining that includes things like

- Student identifies and uses definitions correctly.

- Student can justify a proof passage by citing the correct previously known result.

This way, I can correct a student who mis-remembers a definition, but still note that he was able to use all other definitions correctly.

So far, the process is going well and, since it is very similar to how class works, the students are comfortable with the situation and able to perform at their best.