It is only fair to test students on material that was emphasized in some fashion, wether it be a specific assignment, discussion, or demonstration that has taken place. Testing them on nuances in the textbooks or a specific detail that was not given any emphasis is unfair.
When selecting the criteria for what is to be tested it is important that you are testing on what you expect your students to learn. Testing content should be thought provoking and I feeling that each question should require some thought and application into what they are studying. I teach nursing and it is important for nursing students to be able to take what is taught in lecture and know how to use it in the clinical setting with patients. It helps to better achieve success with NCLEX.
HI Ralph - Thanks for your post to the forum. You give us good advice - info from the text can be included in tests in addition to lecture notes, but as you mention, we need to be sure that our students know that from the beginning of the class. Best wishes! Susan
Instructors should, of course, always select material that he or she has covered in class. But, that doesn't mean that other material can't be used on the exam, also. However, an instructor needs to be clear that any material from the text may appear on an exam whether it was covered in a lecture so that the students know to study the text diligently and not focus on lecture notes only.
I believe criteria for selecting testing content relates to a well defined course. A course is well defined in the objectives designed throughout the course. So, the content the student is expected to take away from a course should be clearly identified in well written objectives. However your course is designed for students to take in the content (i.e. assigned readings, classroom presentations and activities, group work etc.), the objectives can always be the guide the student uses to prepare for exams. Each question should directly correlate to an objective or in the case of essay question possibly a number of objectives.
Hi Bill- Thanks for your post to the forum. I especially liked your reference to the importance of relevance - i.e. "why are we asking if our students know this?" Best wishes - Susan
Hi Bill Thanks for your post to the forum. I liked your take on irrelvant material! The best assessments are based on competncies and course objectives. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Well stated, Bill. Since our classrooms are filled with a variety of learning styles and educational backgrounds, it is wise to build student confidence. Retention is an important factor in college for many reasons. We interact with the student population daily; therefore, we greatly impact the outcome.
I agree with with Guy. If you have questions that are irrelevant to course content, then you aren't really testing a student's comprehension. But rather those types of questions ask if students can memorize minutia from a text that they will probably never need to know unless competing on Jeopardy.
Many criteria should be considered when selecting testing content.
I think the most important is relevance. Does the exam relate to the desired outcome? Will the student need to know this information for future exam purposes or will this be needed for practical purposes in their field?
Next I feel exam content should be influenced by your student population but not dictated by it. You should have a variety of questions that will challenge every student to think while also containing the "easy" questions that can create a sense of confidence in the student's test taking abilities. In many cases, I feel that teaching students to use a test to answer a test can be valuable especially in multiple choice and mixed format exams. This works by teaching students to first answer what they know absolutely. Then answer the questions that they have a pretty good idea of, or educated guess. Finally realizing that there may be some questions that they don't have a great understanding of but can still answer with critical thinking.
Test content should reflect the course objectives met through a variety of instructional delivery: lecture, discussion, group activites, etc. Content that is both delivered and applied--that which the student has been exposed to--can be considered for test content.
Testing content should reflect the learning objectives for the course. Tests are best when the test for both knowledge and the application of knowledge.
If you have the luxury and latitude as an instructor, it is ideal if you can create tests that are unique to the subject matter and promote application. A composition course will differ greatly from Algebra.
Hi Donald- I agree, if our objective is to enable our students to pass certifications then we must use asessments that will help them to be familiar with those exams. Best wishes! Susan
Selecting testing content should be focused on what the student will need after graduation to be the most successful in their chosen career. If the student has to take a state/national test for their career choice then the in class tests should prepare them for it. Other areas to test the student in could include the ability to think critically. This will assist the student in being able to analyze situations in any career choice.
testing content should, be able to challenge the student on what they have previously been taught.
Hi Peter- Welcome to Ed 103! Thanks for the reminder to concentrate on the learning objectives when creating assessments - good advice! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career and all the best in 2010. Susan
depends of what is being tested
The testing content should be what you have went over and over in the classroom.
The criteria for selecting testing content should be consistent with the objectives of the course.If the objectives of the course are to instruct a student How to do a certain task,then the testing needs to reinforce an ability to do that task. If the object of the lesson is to be able to diagnose a condition,then the testing may include good examples as well as faulty examples, but the student should also be able to explain why something is considered faulty.
