A Crib Card for Physical Chemistry Exams Constructing good exams for junior-senior level physical chemistry courses is often challenging for an instructor. I have found i t helpful to allow students in physical chemistry to write down any formulas or other material they want on a 3 X 5-in. note card and use this an exams. Although this may a t first seem to undermine the value of preparing for and taking a n exam, I have found in practice that the opposite is true. Preparing the card is an excellent focus for study. I t requires the student to evaluate, organize, and condense material rather than simply memorize equations. Most students spend many hours preparing their cards (I have seen same masterpieces) and my subjective feeling is that much valuable learning occurs during this effort. Several years ago a student approached me just before a n exam, almost in tears; he had misplaced his card in the library t h e previous hour. Although sympathetic, I could offer no help. This student, one of t h e better ones, proceeded to take t h e exam without his card, and did almost as well as on other exams taken with his card. Allowing crib cards makes writing exams easier for the instructor. A wider variety of questions can he asked. Single equation "plug-in" problems can be minimized. There is no need to write on the board or pass out sheets of physical constants; its t h e students' responsibility t o have these on their card.
John C. Whitmer Western Washington University Bellingham, WA 98225
Volume 60
Number I
January 1983
85
