Every year, students cram study sessions into their day for final exams which determine a large portion of their grades. Students spend hours studying reviewing for exams that are worth a good chuck of their grade. But final projects are another way to test students on the curriculum that they learned.
I have always enjoyed final projects more than final exams. Not only did I think it was easier, but I thought that it was a more creative way to complete the final grade for your class. For example, in my freshman year French class, instead of a final exam we had to make a children’s book written in French. This involved writing a 8-12 page book with pictures written in French. I really enjoyed the project because I got to be creative, while showcasing what I learned in the class.
Final projects also better prepare students for the real world. In some careers, people are rarely asked to sit silently in a room and answer questions from memory. Most of the time you will be collaborating with others on a project. Another advantage of final projects is that they reduce unnecessary stress and pressure.
With the final project, the student makes a presentation or whatever the final project is asking for. But for exams, factors like illness and stress can seriously affect your performance. Projects provide a more balanced assessment because students have more to look over and rewrite their project effort over several days or weeks. This creates a more fair system that is centered around growth and understanding rather than performance under extreme pressure.
Teachers may argue that final exams are more objective and easier to grade. While exams can provide quick results, I feel that you get more educational value from the project. A project may take more time for teachers to grade, but it demonstrates what the student truly learned throughout the class. Education should focus on helping students develop knowledge and skills they can use beyond the classroom, not simply testing how much information they can memorize overnight.
Final projects are a more effective and meaningful alternative to final exams. They encourage deeper learning, encourage creativity, and help students build skills that matter in real life.
