It should be based on the material that was taught and the method used to teach. Make sure the test covers what you covered in class so you can assess their learning
In my particular field we have both written and performance testing. I would say that the criteria should be the student can apply what he gets out of the written test to the actual performance testing he/she will do and vice-versa.
HI Michael - Thanks for your post to the forum. The best part of the skills assessments that you are able to create is that they will determine whether your students can deliver the skills that potential employers will expect. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Our school already has written tests that must be given to the students. As an instructor I do have the ability to create skills tests. I have found that the students enjoy being able to figure out a problem using the knowledge and skills that they have been working on.
In my class I would make sure to only use testing content that I clearly covered in class. If I was going to use a standardized test I would make sure that I cover all of that material or I would alter the test. I also filter through the material that I think is the most important for the students to understand. This is the material that I would choose to test on.
I have just finished creating a computer based test. What I focused on is the materials that will be covered in the test that I know of.
Hi Mak - Thanks for your post to the forum. You will also find that the questions that you jot down at the end of each class will also obviously refect what you actually taught in your classes.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I have to agree. By jotting down couple of questions end of each class will help save time when creating and selecting testing content. It will reflect your teaching emphases.
Topic, type of course, practical expectation of skill outcome (use, transferability), and student demographic all play roles in selecting appropriate testing content. Additionally, material that is specially emphasized or recognized to be touchstone facts in the course can be assured to find their way into tests.
It depends on the material and the type of think that you want you class to do. You want them to do more critical think on topics that are vital for their career and success in that career
If there are program outcomes that are articulated with individual course objectives, this will provide a matrix / context against which test questions from a course can be crafted to meet the overall outcomes for the program.
In additional to this context, the instructor must draw from their professional experiences in their career as to the priorities for that regional area of employment his/her students will find themselves working in.
Of course, an instructor should not work in a peer vacuum. They should seek other instructors on their campus, especially those teaching in the same program / career area and ask them for the SOP, past test precedents and any unique program idiosyncrasies that need to be heeded in test writing, administering and correcting.
My experience has been that an integrated score card for a particular program's curriculum (goals, outcomes, objectives) that is communicated to an instructor adjuncting is rare, so most part time faculty lean on the publisher’s material.
I feel that the content should come straight from the instructional learning objectives. These should be made crystal clear and emphasized to students throughout every class session and then used as your testing content.
testing content has to be based on time alloted and relevance to course. will a true/false fit the question type or would multipe choice.
Should be focused on the learning objectives of the course to create a reliable and valid test. The problem I see most when writing tests and reviewing them is taking information straight out of the textbook. For example, writing a completion question that is a direct quote from a book, leaving out one key word. This really doesn't test well in my opinion, except for rote memorization rather than acquisition and application of concepts.
Hi Mark - Thanks for your post to the forum. I completely agree - we need to construct assessments that will let us know if the competencies that we have set up for our courses have been met by our students. The random facts, as you mention, are just not that significant. Best wishes for continued success in your gteaching career. Susan
i feel that the most important points of the chapter should be on the test, this also lets you know what the students are picking up and where you need to put more questions in the weak area of the test. I can tell how the students are doing by giving then a short quiz, and then have them ask questions to other students in the class
I agree, some random questions can be out dated as well.
I do not like tests that simply ask a question because the material was covered. I prefer to ask test questions on material that is important for the students to remember for their career. While all the material may be important some things may be more important. I get very frustrated with tests that ask questions on random facts just because they were mentioned at some point during the lecture.
Hi Dorothy- Thanks for your post to the forum. I think adding questions on material from earlier in the class is fine as long as you let the students know in advance that this will occur. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
What about putting in a few questions from past weeks lecture topics in order to find out if the students are retaining the information from prior weeks
