Spring 2022 is at an end, along with some other things.

In this episode, Seth, Niklas, and Clay talk about the future of the podcast, Seth's departure from the Fulbright program, and the end of Covid distancing measure for students and staff. We recap some of the more interesting experiences we have encountered in the last five months, revisit some ideas from the Season 5 podcast, and discuss the return of physical attendance in classrooms and exam halls.

Episode 8 is our final podcast for Season 5, although Niklas and Clay are uncertain about the podcast's future. Clay's Ph. D. contract terminates August 31, 2022, and while we hope to keep the podcast going the future depends on where Clay ends up after his Ph. D. is complete.

If you have enjoyed the podcast, please contact us at writingcentre@nmbu.no and tell us! If you want us to continue with Season 6, get in touch and let us know so we can find a way to continue offering It's going to be all write.

If there is one thing we can agree upon, it's that nobody likes exams. If there is one thing to think about, it is what is the real purpose of an exam?

Not all exams are made equal, and not all exams test you on the same knowledge or skills. That's why we have different exam formats: multiple choice, written, oral, formative, summative, ongoing, home, open-book. In this episode, Seth, Niklas, and Clay break down some of these exam types and discuss what the real purpose of some of these exams are, and how you can better prepare yourself knowing what the exam is actually testing you on.

Resources

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/waymaker-collegesuccess/chapter/text-common-types-of-tests-in-college/  

http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/academicassessment/repository/files/Matching%20Assessment%20to%20Learning%20Outcomes.pdf  

There are more ways to conduct and communicate research than merely reporting experimental results.

Kerime Opijnen is a recent Ms. Sc. graduate from Lunds University and she shares her experiences using poetry and creative writing as a research format in this episode. Her work focuses on The Power of Poetry to bridge gaps between human rights and environmental devastation in the Niger Delta and oil consumers in the Netherlands. Kerime was kind enough to discuss the role that poetry and creative writing can take as a research method, as a writing form for Master's research, and why non-standard research and writing have value for people across the world.

Show Note: Clayton asked Kerime to share some additional information about some of the positive work being done in the Niger Delta by activists. Here is what she said:

"When I spoke to Nnimmo Bassey, he was in Port Harcourt in the heart of the Niger Delta. He was there to visit polluted location and the places where contamination is being cleaned up. Particularly in Ogoniland, the clean-up process has started, which in Bassey's eyes vindicates the work and position of Ken Saro Wiwa who was assassinated in 1995. Bassey said that, to him, this clean-up is "a sign that, no matter who has suffered in the past and no matter what was done in the past, one day truth will prevail." Bassey also spoke about the hope that took from the took from the judgements in the Hague and also a recent UK Supreme Court ruling which held Shell accountable for environmental damages."

Resources

Kerime's Thesis: https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=9044288&fileOId=9044291  

Rob Nixon's book Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor: https://books.google.no/books/about/Slow_Violence_and_the_Environmentalism_o.html?id=bTVbUTOsoC8C&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&hl=en&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Social Science Research Council - What is activist research?: https://items.ssrc.org/from-our-archives/what-is-activist-research/

This is an English article about the Dutch court case which Kerime also talked about: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-shell-nigeria-court-idUSKBN29Y1D2

Nnimmo Bassey Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nnimmo_Bassey

A.D. Carson, Ph.D - Seth mentioned A.D. Carson's successful Ph.D. Album thesis: https://aydeethegreat.com/