Though only 50% of those taking the Fall 08 Comprehensive Exam passed on the written attempt, several more were able to present a successful oral defense, resulting in an overall pass rate of 86%.
[To be honest, I was hoping for a perfect score to be credited in part to my and Kirsten's Comps guides ;-)
Kinda like I was hoping all the students in my Freshman Comp course would end the semester with an A or a B . . . .]
Linda Summers
Doesn’t it just suck giving someone a bad grade? I always hated that — even when I knew it was totally the student’s fault (like the guy who quit coming to class after a month but couldn’t be bothered to actually drop the class).
Glad you updated this. Hopefully those who are rewriting will do well….
I am still surprised and concerned that so many fellow students do not pass on the first attempt. This might reflect that our program needs to place more of an emphasis on writing and critical thinking. I say this after looking at the number of those that passed the defense. So it is safe to assume that our writing skills are in need of development. (Keep in mind I consider my writing skills to be wanting).
Thanks for putting this information together Linda, it is fun to look at.
Kirsten,
Yes, I do find it disheartening to fail someone. The perfectionist in me believes that I could have done better. However, when there are those who manage to get a “fever for the past 4 Fridays” (I teach a 3-hour once-a-week), what can ya do ;-) Happily, the majority of the class have done quite well. I just hope they stay in school long enough to obtain a degree.
I, too, hope the three who need to retake the exam will do well. Perhaps they’ll be lucky enough to find a long distance study partner of the caliber I enjoyed and their success will be assured ;-)
Wyatt,
I agree that the number who were able to pass an oral defense after initially failing the written suggests that topic knowledge was present. I’m uncertain, however, as to a solution.
Though placing emphasis on writing and critical thinking seems a good idea, and is certainly important, I find it surprising that such a method should be necessary for graduate students – especially considering they first had to obtain a Bachelor degree and pass a GRE exam.
(as for your writing skills: I enjoyed them immensely while we were enrolled in classes together at OU, and I’m especially glad you’ve chosen to continue the e-sharing ;-)