Pre-Test
Is a pre-test on the first day really a good idea?
Richard,
That is how I use pretesting in my classes. I am looking to get a snap shot of my students so I can establish a baseline from which I can do my instructional planning.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I find it very interesting when I do a pre-test, that the knowledge they have coming into the class will typically be retained at the end of the semester. The pre-test, for me, is more of a guide to give me an idea of where the current class is before beginning the semester.
Jeffrey,
I do as well and that is why I use a pretest with my students. I can get a quick read of where they are at and they in turn get an idea of what they know in relation to what we will be studying in the course.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Roy,
This could be very interesting in terms of the results you get. I use pretesting so I can more accurately target the current students and this produces very good results for my planning. Using the questions at the end could close the learning loop.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
I'm actually thinking bout giving the pre-test, then burying the same questions in the final, pull them out and show them , hopefully, that they did learn something in this class...
Roy,
Good point about a positive outcome of a pretest. I use a pretest with my course and the results I get help me with my instructional planning and customization of content.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Hmmm, I think so. I am teaching "Computer Literacy" to mostly young adults that usually ARE pretty Computer Literate. If I can carefully write the right questions, I can gage just how much they know, thus skipping the usual "This is a Mouse, This is a Keyboard", and 2. let the students know that they might NOT be as Computer Literate as they think they are.
Is Turning Point a website?
What a great idea! I did not even know about "Turning point" until reading this thread. I love the idea of not only administering a pre-test to assess the students knowledge, but also administering a test upon completion of the course to determine if I succeeded as an instructor.
Keri,
Brief and simple works best. The 10 question format is right on target. Keep in mind you can modify your pretest to make it work for you once you get a feel for how your students will respond.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
This is a great idea. I have actually never thought of it, and plan to start using it. I was thinking, how long should a pretest be? Very basic and aroung 10 or so questions? With this being a new idea to me, I would like to make sure I am helping, not hurting.
While the instructor needs an assesment of the class level before starting the course, I don't think using this assesment to downgrade the preestablished course objectives is a good idea.
Anthony,
This is an excellent resource for instructors. Thanks for sharing your success with it and how it works in your classroom.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
In one of my courses I use Turning Point to take the Pre-Test. It gives anonymous, instant feedback on questions. I can also use it as a before and after to see if I'm teaching at too basic a level, etc. I also use it to show the students the types of questions they can expect as we go through the course.
I use Turning Point for quizzes throughout the course, as a review of material, allowing the students to ask further questions or generate discussion, especially if many of the students didn't answer correctly. I also use it to gauge whether a particular student is having difficulty with the course, and can offer extra help/guidance.
Steven,
It all depends on what you want to find out about the current group of students. I use pretests the first day of class but they are not graded and the students don't put their names on them. This way the testing pressure is taken off. I get the information I need to complete my instructional planning and this helps me target my current class in relation to their knowledge base about the subject area.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
