Finals Week

The semester is drawing to a close, finals week is around the corner, and the text messages and emails are pouring in. Students I haven't seen or heard from in quite awhile want to know when the final is, what's on the final exam, how many chapters, is there a study guide, and do they have to take it.

For many, they have diligently applied themselves across the semester and I expect nothing less than success. Others are choosing a more "roll of the dice" approach that predictably will have mixed results. I would like to see all of them succeed, and at this time of year I give thought and consideration to what could be done to better engage them, better prepare them, or reduce the likelihood they'd choose the mixed bag approach to test-taking.

At this point I need to include a disclaimer. I'm a Washington State University graduate from a time when Moscow, Idaho (eight miles away) still had a drinking age of 18. I understand distractions. I also understand substance abuse is a serious issue, one I do not take lightly, and I only offer this minor insight to indicate I learned from the school of hard knocks. Being prepared for a final is so much better than not being prepared. The professor or instructor is part of the solution, but so is the content, how it is organized and presented, and the ways I interact with it across the semester. I had to choose to be involved with my own learning, and we've come a long way from the ten pound book I lugged to class in a backpack.

I have web-based mini video lectures on all of the chapters for my Intro to Communication course. I have web-based flashcards, pretests, and interactive features that introduce and reinforce material in sections that build a solid foundation to the discipline. The text itself is clear and concise, and someday it'll be web-based as well. Another part of the solution is meeting the student where they live and learn...do they like to read online, would they rather review with flashcards, or videos, or do they want something different every day, depending on their mood, their schedule, or their pocketbook?

FWK has a library of texts that serve as a foundation that we as instructors and professors can draw from, taking a case study from business to teach a concept in communication. Soon, we will be able to collaborate. We will be able to connect with professors who teach the same course and learn from each other. All of these features will add value and interactivity to courses.

Still, back in the present, the refrain of leading a horse to water comes to mind. How many are ready for final exams this term?

From the trenches I increasingly observe that reading is web-based for many of my students. They are excited about the possibilities. They ask when there will be a FWK for every course. My answer is soon, very soon.