Use Reflection Essays in the Final Exam
Student reflection is a valuable tool for helping students “cement” what they have learned. Student reflections are quick to grade and often enlightening.
Possible Final Exam Reflection Questions
- What are your current strengths and weaknesses as a result of this course?
- In what ways has your participation in this course improved your awareness of . . . ?
- What skills have you gained or improved as a result of this course?
- What did you learn from this course? (or from individual course topics)
- Of what value is the material in this course to you personally?
- How did you learn best in the course? What was most difficult?
- Now that you have completed this course, what do you still need to learn?
- What was the most difficult concept in this course and why?
- What was the most important insight you gained from this class and how will you apply it?
- In your own words, how would you describe the relationship between topic X and Y?
- What important questions from this course remain unanswered for you?
- How well did you achieve the learning objectives for this class? (Consider listing the course objectives and have students respond briefly to each objective.)
[Many of these suggestions are adaptations of those made by Dee L. Fink; see reference below.]
Example of a Taxonomy that Could be Used in a Final Exam to Guide Student Reflection
- What key ideas or information have you learned about the subject of this course?
- What have you learned about how to use or apply the content of the course?
- What parts of your knowledge, thinking, or actions have you been able to integrate or connect within or external to this learning experience?
- What have you learned about the human dimension of this subject? That is, how have you changed in some important way, and have you changed in your ability to interact with others?
- Have any of your interests, feelings, or values changed as a result of this learning experience?
- What have you learned about how to learn? (Fink, L. D. 2003. Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. Jossey-Bass.)