Starting this new series on new ways to evaluate students skills, I had the opportunity to talk with Dr Keith Pond, director at EOCCS, the online program accreditation from EFMD.
Students are evaluated on skills that don’t match what most of the employers need,? says Keith Pond, ?and there are ways to change that, notably by changing the way we assess students.?
?I’m trying the Pecha Kucha method of presentation, did you hear about that??
Pecha Kucha is a Japanese method of presentation in which you must present 20 slides while spending not more than 20 seconds per slide. This method, in fact, is full of learning opportunities for students. Here’s how.
1. It engages students in their presentation
“Obviously, students have to be concise in their arguments and learn by themselves how to convey people in a limited amount of time,” says Keith Pond. Precision and efficiency are of great value. PechaKucha, more than any other traditional methods of presentation, engages the student in his project.
Through his work, students will have to understand the concepts and information they’ll have to communicate, repeat many times to ensure a clear flow of information and eloquence. This work and repetition are engaging, and engagement is great to ensure long-term memory, that is, learning.
2. Easy to grade, easy to communicate
Giving a grade on presentations like these is not difficult. Variables are here. Better, inviting students to peer grading can be a great opportunity for learning. Indeed, it has been shown that peer grading could trigger active learning more easily.
Moreover, it is also very easy for students and professors to communicate with each other on presentations and what they understood from it. It is thus a great opportunity to engage everyone to communicate, get feedback on practical points.
2. It develops pragmatic skills that will help them professionally
Finally, Pecha Kucha is a great assessment model to test skills that are most needed in the job market. Knowing how to communicate clearly and efficiently is one of the most demanded soft skills today. Indeed, according to Dr Poonam Madar, a lecturer at the University of West London, Pecha Kucha is an assessment, a learning tool and a great way to prepare students for their future jobs. A three in one method that just can’t be neglected!
According to Keith Pond, ?you can address different elements skills with different sorts of assessments, rather than expecting undergraduates to know just how to write an essay. You’ve got to train them through these elements,? and that is how they acquire skills that will greatly help them in the job market.
