This class has been one of my favorites so far. Dr. Dudley-Shotwell presented the course material in such a clear and organized way; I learned so much about the United States’ past.
Additionally, I learned that a class doesn’t need tests in order for it to be a class. In US History: 1877-Modern Times, we had no tests. Our class consisted of notes, videos, quizzes, and projects. Coming out of the class, I feel as though this teaching style has the same outcome as a class with tests because I still feel as confident, if not more, with the material. The only difference is the type of assessments throughout.
For example, our final exam, which is attached below, was a project instead of an exam. The assignment was to create a BuzzFeed article displaying how a certain idea was expressed through the whole course. I chose to do my project on how women have been impacted in each stage of United States history.
I prefer this method, as opposed to tests, because I am a bad test taker. I often get stressed out when I am pressured to answer specific questions. It is either “you know it or you don’t.” This project, though, let me take my time and complete it at my own pace. I also had the opportunity to choose a topic that I was most familiar with, which gave me more confidence in my grade. I was able to really demonstrate my knowledge to the professor by including specific details throughout the assignment. Overall, even though this class didn’t have tests, I still learned the same as any other class and I even learned that I prefer projects over tests!