test review

When looking back at the mid-term exam, I think I could have been better. It normally takes me awhile to prepare for tests because I am not a good test taker. I immediately get “testing anxiety” whenever I hear test, midterm, or final so I generally begin studying at least a week in advance. I did not know what to expect for the midterm since we have only met once and have been learning the material online. In a sense we teach ourselves the information and then apply it through the questions asked in the discussion posts and our blogs.

When preparing for the exam I think the wikispace helped a little. I used this as my basis to conform my own, condensed study guide. This consisted of the major theories presented in the chapters we read and the articles we read online. Since adding or editing things in the wikispace I think it also allowed me to study better. This meant I had to actually click every theory, chapter in the book, or article to see what was added or changed. If I did not have to post I probably would not have clicked on all of the links. I also noticed how the discussion posts helped me prepare for the exam. By doing the discussion posts each week, it serves as a mini study guide in itself. When hearing the titles or a point from the articles or theories, I was able to recall the discussion post it related to. By doing this, I think it allowed me to think not only about the discussion post questions, but also the main idea of the article or theory.

Overall, I feel confident about my midterm exam. Although I had “testing anxiety”, as usual, I felt prepared for it. Something I think I could have done to prepare more for the exam is start my studying early or do a mini-quiz after each reading, article, or discussion posts. Since there are no other tests to assess our knowledge I found it challenging to remember everything we taught ourselves through a computer in a week. Since the class is online, we have our notes and book to refer to when something seems confusing. I also think it would have been beneficiary if we had a class prior to the midterm to answer any unanswered questions, concerns, or for clarification on anything. Even if there were no questions and it consisted of a review, I think it would help since we have not met all year. This way everyone’s questions got addressed immediately and maybe someone who had the same question now had the answer.