Comprehensive Oral Exam Guidelines
1.0 Introduction
The purpose of this milestone course is to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your mastery of the material from the courses you’ve taken so far in the MADS program. One instrument that we will use to assess your knowledge is a comprehensive exam. Comprehensive exams can take many forms: a timed written exam or a collection of papers that you write are commonly used formats. In this course the comprehensive exam will take the form of a structured 20-minute live conversation (via Zoom) with the course instructor. Alternative arrangements can be made if this proves impossible for technical reasons, but in all cases a “live” conversation is required. Here’s how it will work:
You will be given a list of questions related to exploratory data analysis. We suggest that you prepare a short response for each question as it relates to data science in general and your team project in particular. Indeed, consider using the questions as scaffolding for your team project.
2.0 Exam sign up
You must select your exam date and time via the Comprehensive Exam Sign Up Google sheet.
Google sheet “Sign up” tab
Select your date/time slot, adding both your full name and uniqname to the white cell.
⚠️ Select one and only one date/time slot (do not select a gray cell).
You are encouraged to use the siads593_[semester]_001_comp_exam Slack channel to trade date/time slots with your peers.
⚠️ If no date/time slots work for you, please reach out to Ali Kirwen akirwen@umich.edu via Slack or email as soon as possible who will work with you to find a date and time that works for you and the course instructor. Scheduling outside of the regular time slots may result in modifications to the experience, as it is not always possible to find mutually agreeable time slots for the examiner, adjudicator, and student.
Ahead of your exam date and time, you will receive a Google calendar meeting invitation with the Zoom conference link.
❗ If you are unable to make your scheduled exam for reasons beyond your control, please contact Ali Kirwen akirwen@umich.edu with a minimum 12 hours notice. We will require official documentation for your absence. Valid reasons include illness, care of a loved one, or other emergency situations. Work conflicts, unpreparedness, and conflicts with social commitments do not constitute valid reasons for missing an exam and will result in a grade of zero (0).
❗ Failure to alert the teaching team at least 12 hours before missing your exam with a valid reason will result in a comprehensive exam score of zero (0).
3.0 Questions
Please see Comprehensive Oral Exams Questions guide for the list of questions derived from Milestone I’s prerequisite questions.
4.0 Suggestions for Preparing for the Exam
We suggest that teams work together to prepare for the oral exam. You are also free to form ad-hoc study groups to review previous coursework and discuss data science concepts, techniques, and issues. Feel free to leverage Slack, email, and any other communication means to support your work. The course instructors will be available during regularly scheduled office hours to help you work through your ideas.
5.0 Grading Rubric (400 points)
Rubric: Content (substance, depth, thoroughness, insights, originality, coherance) (max 200 points)
| Great (180-200 points) | Good (160-178 points) | Not Good (< 160 points) |
|---|---|---|
| Provides an abundance of material clearly related to the topic.Points are clearly made and evidence supports topic presentation.Varied use of materials.Went above and beyond to research information; solicited material in addition to what was provided.Brought in personal ideas and information to enhance the oral exam.Speaker provides an accurate and complete explanation of key concepts, theories, and practices drawing upon relevant course materials. Applications of theory are included to illuminate issues; includes an original, insightful interpretation of the question that even the professor may not have heard or thought of.Information is accurate.Combines and evaluates existing ideas to form new insights. | Provides sufficient information that relates to the question.Many good points are made but there is an uneven balance and little variation.Did a good job of preparing.Utilized materials provided to their full potential.At times took the initiative to find information outside of what was provided.For the most part, explanations of concepts, theories, and practices are accurate and complete. Some helpful applications of theory are included. Student demonstrates ability to interpret facts independently with a certain level of depth and insight.No significant errors are made but a few inconsistencies or errors are detected.Combines existing ideas to form new insights. | Little or no attempt is made to be original or insightful. Explanations of concepts, theories and/or practices are inaccurate, incomplete, or unclear. Ineffective use of resources; did little or no fact gathering on the topic. Little or no reference is made to course work, literature or data set under review.Information provided does not relate to the topic under discussion. |
Rubric: Question and Answer (Q&A) (max 200 points)
| Great (180-200 points) | Good (160-178 points) | Not Good (< 160 points) |
|---|---|---|
| Demonstrates extensive knowledge of the topic by responding confidently, precisely and appropriately to all questions posed by the examiner.Able to successfully think or analyze “on one’s feet”/on the spot. | Demonstrates knowledge of the topic by responding accurately and appropriately to the questions.Largely at ease with answers to all questions but occasionally fails to elaborate. | Demonstrates incomplete knowledge of the topic by responding inaccurately and/or inappropriately to questions posed by the examiner. |