Students
      Voice
      Concerns
      About
      Switch
      to
     
     
      Pass/Fail
      Assessment
      in
      UPEI's
      B.Ed.
      Program
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Tara
      Stewart-Stanley
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Beginning
      with
      this
      academic
     
     
      year,
      the
      UPEI
      Department
      of
     
     
      Education
      has
      changed
      their
      marking
     
     
      system
      to
      a
      pass/fail
      assessment.
     
    

    
     
      Dean
      of
      Education,
      Graham
     
     
      Pike,
      says
      this
      change
      will
      help
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      to
      develop
      those
      qualities
      impor-
     
     
      tant
      to
      teachers.
      He
      says
      it's
      important
     
     
      for
      the
      students
      to
      be
      more
      involved
     
     
      with
      how
      well
      they
      do
      in
      their
      courses.
     
    

    
     
      "You
      have
      to
      develop
      a
      sense
     
     
      of
      both
      responsibility
      for
      what
      you're
     
     
      doing,"
      he
      says,
      "but,
      also
      a
      kind
      of
     
     
      self-criticism.
     
    

    
     
      "What
      we're
      trying
      to
      do
     
     
      through
      this
      system
      is
      to
      introduce
      a
     
     
      range
      of
      different
      assessment
      process-
     
     
      es
      that
      help
      develop
      those
      skills
      and
     
     
      that
      kind
      of
      mind-set."
     
    

    
     
      First
      year
      education
      student,
     
     
      Jenn
      Campbell,
      is
      pleased
      with
      the
     
     
      change.
     
    

    
     
      "I
      think
      it's
      a
      great
      system
     
     
      because
      when
      you're
      in
      first
      year,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      coming
      into
      the
      education
      program,
     
     
      there's
      a
      lot
      of
      stress.
      You're
      worried
     
     
      about
      your
      practicums,
      you're
      worried
     
     
      about
      how
      everything's
      going
      to
      run.
      I
     
     
      think
      it's
      going
      to
      take
      a
      lot
      less
      stress
     
     
      off
      getting
      that
      mark."
     
    

    
     
      The
      returning
      students
      aren't
     
     
      as
      quick
      to
      agree
      with
      the
      new
      format.
     
    

    
     
      "As
      I
      understand,"
      says
      sec-
     
     
      ond
      year
      education
      student
      Roxanne
     
     
      Hall,
      "a
      lot
      of
      people
      are
      unhappy
     
     
      about
      it
      in
      second
      year,
      because
      we
     
     
      started
      with
      marks,
      and
      therefore
      we
     
     
      want
      to
      end
      with
      marks.
      We
      just
      got
     
     
      our
      packages
      a
      few
      weeks
      ago
      that
     
     
      answered
      our
      questions,
      but
      when
      you
     
     
      hear
      about
      it
      in
      May
      and
      you
      have
      all
     
     
      these
      questions
      and
      you're
      curious,
     
     
      you
      kind
      of
      want
      answers
      right
      away.
     
     
      We
      rs
      know
      how
      it
      was
      going
      to
     
     
      affect
      us.'
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “a
      lot
      of
      people
      are
     
     
      unhappy
      about
      it
      in
     
     
      second
      year,
     
     
      because
      we
      started
     
     
      with
      marks,
      and
     
     
      therefore
      we
      want
     
     
      to
      end
      with
      marks.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dean
      Pike
      explains
      they
      had
     
     
      three
      focus
      groups
      with
      the
      first
      year
     
     
      students
      near
      the
      end
      of
      last
      year.
      He
     
     
      says
      there
      were
      a
      few
      unhappy
      stu-
     
     
      dents,
      but
      the
      majority
      were
      either
     
     
      enthusiastic
      or
      indifferent
      to
      the
     
     
      change.
     
    

    
     
      "Certainly
      the
      majority
      was
     
     
      for
      it,"
      Pike
      says.
      "We
      certainly
      didn't
     
     
      want
      to
      do
      anything
      that
      would
      be
     
     
      detrimental
      to
      students."
     
    

    
     
      Student
      Union
      President,
     
     
      Chris
      Power,
      is
      concerned
      with
      the
     
     
      way
      the
      changeover
      took
      place.
     
     
      Power,
      who
      took
      over
      as
      president
     
     
      May1,
      says
      he
      attended
      a
      senate
      meet-
     
     
      ing
      May
      2.
      Even
      though
      he
      was
      then
     
     
      Student
      Union
      President,
      Power
      was
     
     
      told
      it
      was
      the
      previous
      president
      who
     
     
      still
      held
      the
      vote
      on
      the
      senate,
      so
      he
     
     
      sat
      in
      on
      the
      meeting,
      as
      a
      non-voting
     
     
      observer.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Power
      later
      returned
      from
      a
     
     
      trip
      to
      discover
      a
      package
      from
      the
     
     
      university
      waiting
      for
      him
      in
      the
      mail.
     
    

    
     
      "It's
      the
      minutes
      from
      another
     
     
      meeting
      they
      had
      afterwards,"
      Power
     
     
      says,
      "on
      which
      I
      was
      listed
      absent,
     
     
      along
      with
      all
      the
      new
      incoming
      coun-
     
     
      cillors."
      ;
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “We
      certainly
      didn't
     
     
      want
      to
      do
      anything
     
     
      that
      would
      be
      detri-
     
     
      mental
      to
      students.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      pass/fail
      issue
      was
      settled
     
     
      and
      passed
      at
      this
      meeting.
      Power
      had
     
     
      been
      told
      there
      wouldn't
      be
      another
     
     
      meeting
      until
      September
      and
      he
      was
     
     
      frustrated
      there
      had
      been
      no
      student
     
     
      presence.
     
    

    
     
      "That
      was
      entirely
      due
      to
      the
     
     
      time
      of
      the
      year
      that
      it
      got
      to
      the
      sen-
     
    

    
     
      te,"
      Dean
      Pike
      explains.
      He
      says
      an
     
     
      effort
      was
      made
      to
      reach
      as
      many
     
     
      members
      as
      possible.
     
    

    
     
      "It
      was
      the
      end
      of
      the
      year,
     
     
      attendance
      tends
      to
      be
      fairly
      poor
      at
     
     
      that
      time,
      not
      only
      from
      students,"
     
     
      Pike
      says.
      "It
      would
      have
      to
      be
      done
     
     
      through
      e-mail,
      it
      wasn't
      the
      best
      situ-
     
     
      ation."
     
    

    
     
      Both
      Power
      and
      Hall
      say
     
     
      they've
      heard
      concerns
      from
      students
     
     
      worrying
      about
      getting
      into
      Master's
     
     
      programs.
     
    

    
     
      "T
      talked
      to
      a
      professor
      and
      he
     
     
      reassured
      me
      that
      we
      wouldn't
      be
     
     
      affected
      by
      the
      pass/fail.
      The
      Master's
     
     
      programs
      looked
      at
      reference
      letters,
     
    

    
     
      tc,"
      Hall
      says.
      "We
      weren't
      really
     
     
      sure
      and
      after
      I
      talked
      to
      my
      professor
     
     
      about
      it,
      I
      was
      O.K.,
      we
      just
      needed
      to
     
     
      be
      talked
      to
      about
      it."
     
    

    
     
      Pike
      says
      most
      marks
      are
      just
     
     
      one
      indicator
      of
      a
      student's
      abilities.
     
     
      He
      says
      marks
      from
      an
      undergraduate
     
     
      degree
      are
      a
      better
      indicator,
      since
      a
     
     
      masters
      program
      is
      much
      more
      like
      an
     
     
      academic
      undergraduate
      program,
     
     
      rather
      than
      a-professional
      B.Ed.
      pro-
     
     
      gram.
     
    

    
     
      An
      information
      sheet
      written
     
     
      by
      Dean
      Pike,
      was
      circulated
      to
      the
     
     
      education
      students
      prior
      to
      the
      begin-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ning
      of
      the
      university
      year.
      It
      stated
     
     
      there
      had
      been
      much
      consultation
      with
     
     
      both
      students
      and
      faculty.
      It
      summa-
     
     
      rized
      various
      reasons
      for
      the
      switch
      to
     
     
      pass/fail.
     
    

    
     
      "Success
      in
      getting
      a
      job
      as
      a
     
     
      teacher,"
      he
      states,
      "depends
      upon
      a
     
     
      wide
      range
      of
      interconnected
      factors,
     
     
      of
      which
      the
      most
      significant
      are
      your
     
     
      previous
      experiences
      in
      a
      teaching
      sit-
     
     
      uation
      (including
      practicum),
      your
      ref-
     
     
      erences,
      your
      level
      of
      competency
      dis-
     
     
      played
      in
      the
      interview
      and
      your
      suit-
     
     
      ability
      for
      the
      past
      in
      question.
      Course
     
     
      grades
      from
      a
      professional
      program
     
     
      are
      of
      little
      importance
      to
      a
      hiring
     
     
      committee."
     
    

    
     
      Chris
      Power
      says,
      despite
      his
     
     
      concerns,
      he'll
      support
      the
      decision.
     
    

    
     
      "I
      stand
      behind
      the
      university
     
     
      in
      their
      efforts
      to
      improve
      this
      pro-
     
     
      gram.
      But
      also,
      I
      think
      that
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      should
      be
      involved
      in
      ‘all
      the
     
     
      process
      and
      in
      this
      instance
      it
      clearly
     
     
      wasn't
      the
      case.
      I'm
      still
      not
      informed
     
     
      enough
      to
      form
      an
      official
      opinion
      on
     
     
      it.
      We're
      making
      our
      students
      guinea
     
     
      pigs
      without
      actually
      giving
      them
      a
      lot
     
     
      of
      input."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      need
      to
      recog-
     
     
      nize
      excellence
     
     
      where
      it
      happens,
     
     
      so
      we're
      thinking
      of
     
     
      a
      whole
      new
     
     
      scheme
      of
      awards.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dean
      Pike
      defends
      the
      deci-
     
     
      sion
      to
      switch
      from
      a
      standard
      mark-
     
     
      ing
      method
      to
      this
      new
      system.
     
    

    
     
      "The
      whole
      idea
      behind
      this
      is
     
     
      to
      increase
      standards
      and
      therefore
      we
     
     
      need
      to
      recognize
      excellence
      where
      it
     
     
      happens,
      so
      we're
      thinking
      of
      a
      whole
     
     
      new
      scheme
      of
      awards,
      and
      maybe
     
     
      also
      a
      new
      way
      of
      assessing
      who
      goes
     
     
      on
      the
      Dean's
      List,
      so
      that
      we
      can
      rec-
     
     
      ognize
      the
      students
      who
      do
      make
      that
     
     
      special
      effort."
     
    

    
     
      Dean
      Pike
      says
      the
      department
     
     
      hopes
      to
      announce
      the
      specifics
      with-
     
     
      in
      the
      next
      couple
      of
      weeks.
     
    
   
   
    
     
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