the content that gets evaluate it has to be part of the material cover throughout the class. you have to be very careful not to include material that wasn't covered during lectures.
Testing content is dependent on the class being tought. A lab class for example may require a rubric. Multiple choice is probable the most common content used and has proven to be effective. But I also feel short answers and essay questions give a clear idea of whether or not the student actually understand the material.
I go by the syllabus and material covered in lectures.
You have to take into consideration what kind of learners you have in order to know what kind questions you should ask. You also must consider what it is that you want your students to have learned, what was the learning objective.
When choosing the criteria for test questions, instructor's need to make sure that the content is relevent to what has been disscussed in class. In other words the students should be challenged to use their critical thinking skills but be able to pull from the previous weeks lecture.
Teaching an Ultarsound lab the criteria for me is fairly straight forward. Testing is based on what has been learned over the course. You can only test based on the views that have been learned.
Hi Karen, Thanks for your post to the forum. Your rationale for assessment choices is excellent! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
I definitely believe that the criteria we use for building tests should be the course and lesson objectives. Beyond that, we need to determine what level of understanding the student needs to demonstrate. Should the test be written to test for memorization, critical thinking, application, or all of these?
Debi,
I really like your method to make sure students are building a strong foundation in order to successfully progress chapter by chapter. So many students get lost and fall behind because they didn't do that.
May I ask what methods you use to help build the one-on-one relationships in your online classes?
This should come directly from the learning objectives of the course, and each chapter/concept that is required to complete course. My classes are all required content early in the students' curriculum, so I find that using primarily multiple choice and true/false quiz questions are less intimidating since my classes are some of the first they experience! Don't want to scare them away too soon:)
The criteria should reflect the objectives as outlined for the course. If not, why are we testing?
For quizes, any concepts that have been repeated in class or highlighted on the white board are fair game for testing. As I've told my students, "I'm not trying to bore you if I repeat information - I want to make sure you learn the concepts."
Hi John, Thanks for your post to the forum. Your advice to your students concerning test preparation is great! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Hi Robert, Thanks for sharing a good strategy! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
The criteria for testing content should correlate with the objectives for the course. I use a course packet divided into chapter segments with about 10 core concepts for each chapter. These incorporate significant vocabulary. We review these segments for reinforcement as the course progresses. When it's time for an assessment, it comes directly from the course packet with a case studies used for each chapter. I alternate between solo case study analysis and group analysis assessments.
I really appreciate the emphasis on testing being what has a student learned not whether he/she can be tricked in a testing scenario.
I always make sure that the test questions are in line with the daily learning objectives. Every lecture starts off with the learning objectives, and then before I write an exam I write out the learning objectives and make sure that every test question I write fall under one of the learning objectives.
Criteria for selecting testing content should be based on the information discussed during class time and course materials. Testing content must be factual and should not include information that is not relative to the subject being taught.
I completely agree, the type of testing should reflect the type and nature of the material that the student is being tested on. The basis for the selection of the type of assessment should be determined by the objectives of the lesson.
Everything, whether it is course content, or evaluation content must be derived from the learning objectives. As a matter of study, i tell my students to take the learning objectives either from the front of each chapter, or from the syllabus and think of questions that relate to that objective. If they can answer any question they can think of without looking for answers, they can answer anything I would put on a test. I always match my delivery content with the objectives as well as the testing content.
I absolutely agree, that the test should consistent with objectives of the course , and the testing format should be judged by instructor and base in the course content.
