Hi Samuel - Thanks for your post to the forum. You are doinga great of manageing your assessments! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I go right to the root of factual information. I test on exactly what I taught and what needs to be know. I do ck my wording often and make sure everyone understands the concept before going on. I try not to add fillers in tests because it can be confusing. I ck my test scores and if 80% can pass the test and then perform tasks afterward I think it is effective. If I get complaints that it was too vague with the question answer and get in the 70% pass rate I know I have to look at the material again and how it was conveyed.
I always evaluate the student test scores after each test.How I do that is I go through and see how many students did well and how many students did not do so well. I also discuss the test with the students as well as the answers. So therefore, what a student did not know at that time, once the test is reviewed by discussing questions and answrs the students have a better understanding of the test questions and answers.
I often use a combination of testing formats to see if the information has been learned. Many of the tests are multiple choice in that for licenseure, the exam is multiple choice, so the student is also learning a test format.
The test should be designed to evaluate the skills and knowledge of students. To meet this objective, the test should ensure the content validity of the test and determine if the test evaluates the total content of the topic.
Interesting reading about what to avoid in writing test questions, in my experience I have seen many of the "what to avoid" used in the questions, understanding the proper format for creating questions will help to ensure accurate testing of the material learned, rather than trying to "trick" the tester.
Hi Mary - Thanks for your post to the forum. Always good practice to review tests as you describe! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I note which questions on the exam have the highest rate of incorrect answers, which helps me determine if a question is poorly written or more review is needed in class so students grasp the concept.
We use a combination of test formats, multiple choice. true and false, completion and essay. That way there we can more of less of a different type for evaluation.
Hi Romeo - You are very welcome! I'm so glad that you found some useful tips. Best wishes - Susan
I've been using the different formats introduced in this module but honestly I did use some of the dont's in constructing an exam. Now I learned a lot; that it is better to use more false than true questions and there should be no rhythmical pattern in the answers;that multiple choice should not be more than 15;not to use 2 negatives in a single question and so on and on...
I believe my original formats were still effective to demonstrate their knowledge and skills the fact that most of my students are successful in their career becoming supervisors in the hospital or group of former students running an entire sonography department. I'm just expressing the "pride" of a teacher. But I salute to the "tips" presented in this module. This is a "BIG" help in constructing my new test formats and for sure will be more effective in determining the knowledge and skills the students acquired from us. My thanks to the one creating this module.
I use a short fill in the blank assignment for completing a library research assignment when students are initially learning about the library. I've reviewed it because I understand that the question may need re-wording or that another question may better test their knowledge.
Overall, I think when students need to integrate concepts and show an application of knowlege that essays or short answers let you know if the student truly understands the objectives of the class.
Hi Kay - Thanks for your post to the forum. Allowing your students to be involved in test development is a wonderful idea. As you say - it makes them feel more a part of their own learning. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Sharon - Thanks for your post to the forum. Re-evaluating tests is a great practice! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
We use scantrons when administering tests. After scanning all of the scantrons I check the averages and go over the material that was obviously unclear to my students. Often I will ask another instructor how they teach on that particular topic so that I have another method or way of explaining the material to the students in hopes that a new way of looking at it will help them to understand it better.
I allow the students to create some of the test questions. I ask the questions “if you were an employer what information would you want your employees to have?†“How would the employee demonstrate to you he/she has that knowledge?â€
By putting the control in the students’ hands I give them ownership of their learning and force them to really read and study the text. Of course I have the final say on what will be on the test. My tests are a mix of true and false, choice, fill in short answer matching, case studies and essay. I have noticed the students’ create more in depth questions and seem to take their learning to a much higher level.
Once the results are in…we use the ‘missed/weak’ questions as classroom discussions.
I usually use a standardized test format that comes from a test bank. I can choose multiple choice, true/false,completion,and essay questions for my tests. I try to use a combination of these with the majority being multiple choice. The essay questions are usually where I can see what the students actually have retained and not just memorized an answer.
I determine the effectiveness of my test formats in enabling students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge by looking at their performance on the assessment.
Hi Karne - The review process that you use for your tests is exemplary! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I determine the efficacy of a test format by noting the students' initial reaction to the test.
