Setting up a proper test
When creating a test or quiz, I find it important to always ask myself if the questions are relevant. By asking, "is this important", this helps me to create a test that is meaningful and valuable.
Being in the culinary field , most of my tests are practical and require that the guidlines do not vary alot
Hi Ray:
Yes, your tests may be practical, but I'm sure there are lots of ways a student can mess up a seemining simple procedure through mishandleing a kitchen implement or following the correct order and timing of a receipe.
Regards, Barry
Hi Doreen:
Yeah, quizzes are interesting animals. But if good student learning objectives are established in the beginning, and those objective are effectively taught throughout, then creating quizzes (and tests) should be a simpler task because you are merely assessing what was presented and infortion determined to be essential to their learning.
Regards, Barry
I agree; I also try to match the test questions with the students ability to process the material. I will not lower the level of the material but I will word it in a manner that they can understand.
Having questions that are based in practical applications of the course are important because I believe it helps the students retain the information better.
Hi David:
I agree - practical applications help students exercise the critical thinking process. It is important that learning objectives and the assessment of those objectives are matched well. In other words, there ought not be assessment questions that are not tied in directly with what was supposed to covered in the class.
Regards, Barry
Hi David:
Probably your classes lend themselves to practical applications perhaps more so than other classes or courses. Sometimes there is theory that just can't be assessed thoroughly by practical application. But even in these kinds of classes, there is a lot of variety that can be employed in the construction of good, solid tests and assessments.
Regards, Barry
I agree, a test should be based on material that is meaningful and valuable, but it also has to reflect the content that was taught in the course.
I'll take that further. If it doesn't attempt to cover a great majority, if not all the course content, we are telling our students "this" is more important to learn that "that." If we do this we may be deterring them from engaging everything they need to learn.
I work in a culinary school and you would assume these students are here to learn to be chefs. You'd be wrong with many of them. Some want to be food stylists, food critics, photographers, restaurant owners. If the chefs who teach the course focus their evaluations on those areas most important to budding chefs, they may be directing some students away from the content which best suits the area they will focus their careers on.
I think we should strive to facilitate an understanding of all the course content, not the one which seems most relevant to us. You never really know what part a given students may need the most.
I agree with you and it's good see if the questions are relevant to the module, makes sense and is stated clearly.
I agree that if the materail presented in a test is outdated or unrealted closely to the course it will definitely not show the best of ablilities of the student.
I agree, but you should also remember there is a part of creativity in our feel.
Response to Barry,
I think quizzes and tests are terrific gauges in evaluating the students gaining of knowledge in that area. I do not like cumulative tests because students become very overwhelmed. I believe courses should be taught in segments and then that knowledge is measured by a test in that area. Students seem to handle this better and can feel as if they learned something and can now move on. Sharon
Tests at the school I work in are formulated at the main campus. Intructors have very little involvement in test formulation other than examing test questions and providing input.
Hi Luis:
Sometimes we instructors have to take what is given us and that's all we have to work with. But that shouldn't have to limit our creativity. I'm sure if you think about it, there's bound to be somne variety in what you could do with with a preformatted test.
Regards, Barry
