Quizs, Test's
Testing the students, either by choice questions or by an arrange of different types of testing.
Hi Vincent:
You've listed a couple of good types of assessments. I think good teachers will evaluate what the best way to asess their student learning is, then develop specific types of assessments that accurately reflect their student learning.
You listed a good start.
Regards, Barry
My belief is that the way you test your students reflects directly on what you expect of them. Multiple choice, for example, allows the student to guess rather than state the answer. This, to me, allows some students to pass the course on a small level of chance. On the other hand, "fill in the blank" or "write the answer" style questioning confirms student knowledge.
RW
Hi Ron:
I've often lamented that the one time we can't be teachers is when the student is doing a written test. No matter how much I want to be able to help the student, testing is one time that I can't, they're on their own.
Fill in the blanks kinds of tests do require the student to provide information attesting their knowledge. But students can guess on written, fill in the blanks too, wouldn’t you agree? I would concur there is likely not going to be as much guessing as if constructed in multiple choice format.
I've used multiple true-false tests successfully. This is the kind of question that provides answers and the student has to select the correct sequence. For instance, say there are 5 choices given, numbered 1-5. Answer "a" is 1, 2, and 4; "b" is 2, 3 and 5; "c" is 1, 3, and 5; and "d" is 3, 4, and 5. The presence of good sounding wrong answers diminishes choosing the correct answer by guessing. Good students will utilize critical thinking by evaluating the choices and use the process of elimination. The down side to this type of question is that they take more time to construct.
In the end, there is not one type of test format that works better in every instance.
Regards, Barry
I see your strategy, the student has to utilize a "diagnostic approach figure out the answer instead of a simple process of elimination.
RW
when testing the students. i think that using a broad type of testing. fill in the blank, multiple quess. essay are all valid methods.i think the trick is to make the questions clear and concise, no room for complaints that i did not understand the question. but unless the students students donttake good notes or apply them self then they will have issues
Hi Roger:
You're right about being clear and concise. We're wanting to assess learning. If the assessment tool is confusing or ambiguous, that doesn't help the learning process and may contribute to frustration by students.
So how do we help keep assessments unambiguous? Well, the short answer is to make sure each question is directly related to a specfic learning outcome (SLO). If SLO's have been written clearly, and the instructor has taught to the SLO, then assessing by SLO should pretty straight forward. Now, I understand that's a lofty statement and easier said than done. But in principle, that's what it comes down to.
Regards, Barry
I too have used this type of Q&A for SkillsUSA and find that the students can still use a bit of luck as with any test. The "multiple-multiple choice" questions as I call them do require some serious thinking on the students part. I have always recieved postive feedback from the students and their instructors during the de-briefing.
Hi Michael:
I agree that whenever "all of the correct answers are present" there will remain a possibility that a student can guess and correctly answer a small percentage of questions.
The key to multiple true-false questions lies in their construction. The instructor should carefully weigh the various combinations to try to exclude obvious incorrect combinations. In this manner, there is more reliance on the critical thinking aspect.
One of the positive aspects of this type of testing is the benefit of reviewing the tests as a group after the test is completed. Students who answered correctly have their knowledge reinforced. And students who missed a question get to see which questions they missed - and more important, why one choice is better than another. So the test becomes an instructional instrument after the fact.
Regards, Barry
Like this instructor, I like to do a mixture of true/false, multiple choice, fill in the blank, and others as it allows a multide of choices for those students who may do better on one version but not another. Normally, after every new test, I relook the test to see if there were any mistakes a student may have seen but I had not. I've noticed that every test takes at least two or three new versions before I am satisfied to use for a test for a few classes. I will, after a certain number of class periods, still go back and add or delete questions that I feel are more relevant to the students' understanding of the course and of helping the student with their own career path.
Hi Matthew:
Good points. Your willingness to put in the effort to constantly revise your tests can only produce better outcomes for your students.
Regards, Barry
I agree that it's important to re-assess exams. If the exam was produced by someone other than yourself, issues regarding relavency to current course content may be an issue. Also, questions must reflect the final objectives for them to be taken seriously and not debated by students. While most instructors would prefer mulitple choice as it's the easiest to grade, I also prefer exams with fill in the blank to gauge their retention level.
Hi Tony:
You've got a point about the degree of learning, which essay or fill-in's allow an instructor to evaluate.
Regards, Barry
This is a good way to do things I have found also. It helps when wanting to test the student's critical thinking.
Hi Cindy:
I think they call these "multiple true false" or more imprecisely "multiple-multiple choice". Yes, they definitely are an improvement over simple T/F or M/C questions. They're one of the better ways to encourage and assess critical thinking too, as you stated.
Regards, Barry
