8/10/2019 Graduates in Italy and Spain Have Low Basic Skills

1/2

8/10/2019 Graduates in Italy and Spain Have Low Basic Skills

2/2

Duncan McDonnell, a senior lecturer at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, who taught

undergraduates at the University of Turin for several years and was subsequently based at the

European University Institute in Florence, argues that the way the Italian system works often has the

unfortunate consequence of students not learning "any significant writing skills" during most of their

time at university.

"One particular Italian problem which I found regarding literacy is this: most exams in Italian universities

are still oral exams," he said. "Students get very little experience of writing during their undergraduate

years until, right at the end, they are asked to produce a long dissertation. It is absolutely crazy: they

have no preparation for doing so."

Lizzy Daviesin Rome andPeter Walker

theguardian.com,Tuesday 9 September 2014 10.31 BST

http://www.theguardian.com/profile/lizzydavieshttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/lizzydavieshttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/peterwalkerhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/peterwalkerhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/peterwalkerhttp://www.theguardian.com/http://www.theguardian.com/http://www.theguardian.com/http://www.theguardian.com/profile/peterwalkerhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/lizzydavies