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given at the end of the year the students were given one larger project based on an internship of a former student. During the internship the student had to design and build an old-fashioned microscope. The final product is given to the new students at the beginning of the final year. Their assignment is having a perfect replica done by the end of the year. The project begins with disassembling the microscope and measuring it; this is followed by making technical drawings of all the parts based on the measurements. Subsequently each student is asked to change one or two of the measurements and asked to calculate the new strength of the lenses based on these changes. Then the students have to make all the parts using all the skills learned in the previous three years such as welding, drilling, milling, grinding, etc. Finally they have to order the lenses and assemble the microscope, their final grade being a composite of their grades for the different parts of the process and the final product.

This test is of course quite specific for this type of school, but could be made more general or tailored to a specific group of students based on need. An exams commission could take a look at companies where students might end up at the end of their school career and create interesting projects based on existing scenarios. These scenarios could be changed and updated each year by looking at new companies and new situations. The upswing for the students would be that they get a better sense of the real value of their skills, for the teachers that they get a better sense of their students development, for the parent that they can help in more constructive ways for example by talking about their own work experience and for employers that they get employees who better know what to expect.

Such an exam would not be final it would be preparatory and that's what an exam should be.

Learn more about this author, Joost Steffensen.
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