Innovating exams design in lifelong learning New Exam Design - Another Way of Learning

The aim of creating new exam designs is to increase the impact of learning in diploma programmes in continuing and further education1. By developing new designs we create situations where the student can demonstrate the integration of theoretical knowledge in their practical experience, as well as their inter- and transdisciplinary capabilities2. The ruling hypothesis is that an in-depth involvement of the student's occupational context supports and develops active transfer and lasting learning3. Six prototypes have developed mixing exam design i.e. individual oral exams with audio or video clip or pitches, group exams, and experiments/interventions in the occupational context. Subsequently, we have been evaluating the prototypes in relation to the impact of the learning process compared to new competences and abilities relevant for the students' practice. The results show that by bringing the occupational context of the students practice into the “room of exam”, support the transformational learning, providing the external examiner and the examiner a better basis of assessment regarding the students' practice based competences and abilities. The didactic used has enabled the students to practice and experiment, during classroom teaching and between the classroom setting in the students' own practice, together with peers or co-students. Moreover, learning experiences using digital media in exams have proven to be relevant for exams within further education.