Exams can send shivers down a student’s spine, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Exams can be a positive learning experience, not a punitive exercise that induces unnecessary stress. In this episode we discuss an innovative form of testing that is student generated, collaborative and was found to reduce anxiety. An added bonus, it is also less time consuming to mark, allowing educators more time to work with students. This new and innovative testing methodology was developed by Prof Melanie Adrian, and together with doctoral candidate Emily-Jean Gallant, they studied the impact of this form of testing. 

Prof Melanie Adrian is Associate Professor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. She has been appointed to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honour, for establishing Carleton University as a global leader in protecting vulnerable scholars and co-founding the not-for-profit Be the Choice that helps cancer patients navigate their treatment options. In addition to her academic work, Prof Adrian is also a pioneer and innovator in her pedagogical approach. In 2019 she was appointed to Carleton University’s inaugural Chair in Teaching Innovation. This prestigious position is awarded to educators who have demonstrated teaching excellence and innovation across their academic careers. It provides the professor with funding to develop a scholarly project to advance teaching excellence, with a particular emphasis on strategies to foster student success. Throughout her career, Prof Adrian has been recognized as an exceptional teacher. At Harvard University she was awarded five distinctions in teaching, and at Carleton University she received several teaching awards from the Faculty of Public Affairs and several at the University level. In 2021 she was named one of Ontario’s most outstanding university teachers by the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA). She received the prestigious OCUFA Teaching Award for her outstanding contributions to the quality of higher education at Ontario’s universities.

Emily-Jean Gallant is a Doctoral Candidate in Legal Studies at Carleton University. She recently presented research on Engaged Testing with university students at the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. She has extensive experience working as a research and editorial assistant across multiple disciplines. Emily-Jean's background is in philosophy and anthropology, and her Master's thesis is on Martin Heidegger's conception of time. Her current research is focused on the impact 20th century Continental philosophy has on Critical Legal Studies.

Dr. Melanie Adrian: https://carleton.ca/law/people/melanie-adrian/

Email: MelanieAdrian@cunet.carleton.ca

Twitter: https://twitter.com/melanieadrian

Be the Choice: https://bethechoice.org

Scholars at Risk Network: https://www.scholarsatrisk.org/

Articles: 

All Together Now: Teaching Trailblazer Melanie Adrian Wants to Make Remote Learning a Social Experience

https://carleton.ca/ravenmag/story/melanie-adrian-remote-learning/

Carleton’s Melanie Adrian Appointed to Order of Ontario

https://newsroom.carleton.ca/2021/melanie-adrian-order-of-ontario/

Emily-Jean Gallant: https://carleton.ca/law/people/gallant-emily-jean/