introduction
Knowing the requirements for assignments and exams at your level of study helps you prepare better before any assessment. You can make the best of the time spent on lessons, workshops, tutorials, studying and general discussions with lecturers and peers. That is, you can get involved in discussions, and activities and ask questions that will help you better meet the requirements at your level of study.
Sadly, some students go through university without ever knowing what these requirements are. Had they known, they would have prepared for assessments a lot better. Also, their grades and final classifications would have been better consequently. Luckily, this won’t happen to you, because you are here to learn! What are those requirements though?
Bloom’s Taxonomies of Learning
Bloom’s Taxonomies of learning is generally used in many universities to classify the different outcomes expected of learners at different levels. To learn more, check out Harvard University’s article on Bloom’s Taxonomies here.
This article will clarify how the different parts of Bloom’s Taxonomies apply to assessments at the different levels of undergraduate studies. The information here will help you better prepare and write your assignments and exams at each level. The breakdown below is based on a typical three-year undergraduate degree.
What is required at Level Four (Undergraduate Year 1)?
At level four your assignment should clearly show good understanding. To show good understanding in your assessment, you have to first comprehend the meaning of the theories, concepts and perspectives within the topic areas involved. Understanding can be shown in discussions and summaries of what these are.
Also, good learners at this level should be able to discover and locate the materials written by the sources or authors of the required concepts, theories and perspectives. Some basic research skills are required for this. If these are not learnt at level four, it normally impacts performance at level five.
Considering that there is a big jump from level four to level five in terms of academic requirements and the extent of studies, it is always better to have learnt these skills by the end of level four. However, some learners learn them at level five and still go on to graduate with great degree classifications.
What is required at Level Five (Undergraduate Year 2)?
The skills and abilities developed at level four are built on at level five. That is understanding from comprehending the meaning of concepts, theories and perspectives and the basic research skills. Applying concepts and theories to practice or phenomena can’t be done properly without a good understanding.
At this level, the knowledge gained can be manipulated or adapted for effective application. But the main emphasis at level five is analysis. Learn how to analyse practically here. Analysing theories, concepts and perspectives, as well as their application, allows learners to show critical and lateral thinking. These are core requirements for level five assessments.
At level five, you have to consciously avoid descriptive writing, which would have been used to show understanding at level four. Unlike at level four where textbooks were more ideal, you are expected to start using journal articles at this level. This contributes to your grades which start counting towards your final classification. Also, it prepares you for the standard of research required at level six.
What is required at Level Six (Undergraduate Final Year)?
The skills developed at levels four and five are built on at level six. That is the clarity in your writing that comes from good understanding and critical analysis skills. Synthesis can be developed from an analysis. This is by combining the varying perspectives around concepts or theories in the analysis to create new ideas.
Similarly, evaluation can be developed on analysis. Learn how to practically develop your analysis into evaluation here. At this level, the perspectives and positions in your work must be informed by the literature, especially academic ones. Also, the judgements and claims you make must be supported mostly by the literature, and facts in some cases.
Where literature is not used to inform your work, the grade would be very poor. Although this starts at level five, there should be solid evidence of independent studies beyond what is covered in the module. You can show this by using suitable theories, concepts, sources and literature that are beyond those covered in the module.
Conclusion
We have all heard that knowledge is power. However, when knowledge is not used or applied, we can’t derive power from it. But when knowledge is used properly, it can give us significant power in various situations. In this case, doing your assignments and exams. Wisdom is having knowledge, experience and good judgement. The best judgement to make from the experience and knowledge acquired here is to develop a study strategy accordingly.
This strategy can be adapted as you progress in your studies. You already have the knowledge. You know what’s required of you. Be wise and develop a strategy to stick with. This will help you smash those exams and assignments like a boss! Learn How to Answer Assignment Questions Like a Lecturer here.
Drop your questions (and thoughts) in the comment box below.
