Persuasive Speech
Intro: Let audience picture themselves as a student studying the night before the midterm or final. Relatable.
Topic: Universities should abolish midterms and finals and replace it with frequent testing throughout the term.
1st point: Midterms and finals encourage cramming which is a wrong way to learn.
- Mention study conducted by Time.com in 2011: cramming results to an average score and short term memory.
- Midterm and final encourages cramming because covers a lot of contents, worth a lot.
- Number of research mentioned in the book Make It Stick: frequent testing boost learning = practice active recall, retrieval practice to solidify retention.
- One test (retrieval practice) yields large improvement in final exam scores.
- Mention supporting material book: Make It Stick students prefer to be frequently tested.
2nd: Avoid unnecessary stress and for better mental health.
- 2 major tests should not dictate our understanding of the content.
- Adds more stress if you mess one up.
- Diminishes anxiety if each test is not worth more than 30%.
- According to a study conducted by the Student Mental Health Committee, 65% of Waterloo students have severe mental health illness.
Conclusion: To avoid cramming, and for mental health reasons, I am convinced that the University should abolish midterms and finals.
Citations: https://uwaterloo.ca/mental-health-wellness/sites/ca.mental-health-wellness/files/uploads/files/student_experience_panel_final_report_002.pdf https://blog.apaonline.org/2020/02/19/takeaways-from-make-it-stick-the-science-of-successful-learning/ Make It Stick by Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel https://web.stanford.edu/~eryilmaz/cramming_is_ineffective.html