Barry Westling

Hi Angela:
Respectfully, I disagree! If I understand you correctly, you are suggesting using a final exam, that evaluates what the students have learned as a means to see what they understand before ever taking the course?

I think most pretests are similar in that they cover very BASIC ideas from the class. Most final exams are nitty-gritty, and might not be practical as a method for a pretest.

Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Hi John:
You're right, in some courses, it may be impractical to use these. In general, the idea is that they can show you what the student knows about a topic, and may give the instructor an idea of what kind of learner the student is.

Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Hi Ronald:
Certainly for some classes, pre-testing may not be practical.
In general, these tools can help us see what the student already knows, and possibly what kind of learner they are.

Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Hi Noreen:
Another thing pretests are nice to identify is what kind of student learner you have, which can make for mre efficient lesson planning.

Regards, Barry

Barry Westling

Hi Dionne:
Exactly! What we're basically saying here is two things: by using these tools, you can see what kind of learner the student is, as well as make a strong assessment of the knowledge they come into the class with.

Regards, Barry

Angela Guerrero

If you are using the same matrix, you can use the previous class's final as a pretest. You have to make a new final for every class, so why not recycle and save yourself some time?

Ronald Wagonblott

I don't use pretests in my classes, It is imperative that my students have the required skills to proceed in my graphic and web application courses. If the student does not have the basic computer competency I would be spending too much time trying to bring that students knowledge to a level equal to that of his classmates. Pre-screening by the admissions department or instituting an introduction to computers class for all new students would guarantee the level of compedency needed.

John France

I do not use pretests even though it is recommended in some courses. I can see the value but I teach criminal justice and have yet to determine what I could even use in a pretest. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thank you.

Noreen Semanski

Dionne, I have used pre-tests in the past as it does give you a baseline assessment for an individual student and for the class. However, in my past experience, the pre-test can scare students. I use a pre-test after we are in the material and they have some knowledge of current course material. This allows the student to know what to focus on.