Eric Mazur - Assessment The Silent Killer of Learning

Eric Missouri, a Harvard professor, shares an experience on a flight where he met a young woman working for a cloud-based education company. This encounter led him to reflect on the effectiveness of flash cards for memorization, supported by research from Rudy Rodinger. The conversation highlighted that assessments, rather than teaching methods, drive student study habits. Missouri concludes that educational assessments need to be rethought to better prepare students for future challenges and to identify true success potential.

What was Eric Missouri's initial reaction to the young woman's company focusing on flashcards?

• He was impressed by the innovation.

• He was indifferent to the idea.

• He was skeptical about the value of memorization.

• He was eager to collaborate with her.

What did Rudy Rodinger's research suggest about the effectiveness of flashcards?

• They improve memory retention indefinitely.

• They are highly effective for long-term retention.

• They have no impact on memory retention.

• They are only effective for short-term memory.

What realization did Eric Missouri have after his conversation with the young woman?

• Memorization is the key to educational success.

• Technology is the future of education.

• Assessments are the main drivers of student study habits.

• Teaching methods are more important than assessments.

According to Eric, why is it important to rethink educational assessments?

• To ensure students memorize more information.

• To make assessments easier for students.

• To reduce the number of tests students take.

• To align assessments with real-world tasks.

What does Eric believe current assessments fail to do?

• Cover a wide range of subjects.

• Provide immediate feedback to students.

• Identify who will be successful in life.

• Encourage students to study harder.