Want to spend less time 'policing and punishing' your students and more time helping them engage with course material? Prof. Jonathan Sterne of McGill University suggests a different approach in the Chronicle of Higher Educations.
Rather than prohibiting the use of any materials during tests, Prof. Sterne invites his students to write anything they wish on a single sheet of paper. Students can use these notes during the exam, then turn in the notes along with their test.
He also designs multiple choice exams that measure comprehension rather than recognition and he enlists students to help with writing exam questions. These methods help students understand, synthesize, and retain the material they are learning, all things that lead to a more satisfying and effective experience for faculty and students.