The best way to fail for a student

Today we will finish our project for Datema with demo's, presentation and prizegiving. We had five groups working on a web app, Android app and iPad app. In general the results are satisfactory.

Pete* however had not been up to the task. He never got his hands on the keyboard and learning objective C was too difficult for him. I had noticed that and the peerassessment confirmed it. I invited Pete over for an individual examination which he probably wouldn't pass.

When Pete entered the room I asked him if we should go through with it, or rather discuss his issues. We ended up talking about his problems, possible solution, his future ambitions and his choices for the rest of his studies. This was much more valuable to him than doing the individual test. When he left he had a new vision about what he wanted to do and how to get there. If you fail for a subject, make sure you get something out of it.