I find giving pretest to be extremely advantageous for both the student and professor. I give pretests to assess what information students are coming to my class with so I can build upon their previous learning.
It also helps me understand exactly where some shortcomings may be.
Using pretests assesses student knowlege of the content you will be presenting in the course. It prevents frustration and/or boredom.
Kimberly,
I've found there are two levels in the course planning activity. One is my preferences and what I'm comfortable with. The other is what the students need, and determining ways I can assist my students achieve that level of understanding. Pretesting is among methods that help merge both needs (instructor and student).
Barry Westling
Jacob ,
Great! Prior knowledge of student cohort performance can be invaluable when preparing lessons and end-goals.
Barry Westling
Rita,
Vocabulary and terminology are half the battle in many professions, especially health or medical. Proper use and understanding can create better student outcomes.
Barry Westling
Terry,
If we asked "what do you know about "XYZ", probably a lot of hands would go up. But to asses their ability to answer questions, apply or solve problems, that'd be a whole different result, I'd bet.
Barry Westling
Eric ,
What I've found is pretests don't have to be too complicated or comprehensive - just enough to be a sense about where the class stands as a group.
Barry Westling
Erin,
Sure, and information about students prior knowledge can only help an instructor plan and be more effective.
Barry Westling
You can assess the basis of knowledge for the student and what level of critical thing skills they are equiped with. This is helpful when designing a plan on how to teach your students.
In my field, Dental Hygiene, a pretest will help me see their use of dental vocabulary especially if they've had experience in the dental office.
They can give you a baselevel to see where your students are with the topics at hand in a particular course. It will tell you if more background information is needed before taking on the course objectives.
It allows you to gauge where each student is at in regards to the curriculum you are teaching. This allows for your teaching methods to include whatever is necessary to reach each student effectively.
I agree we have situations where students have an entry level position and think they know more than they do. A pretest
would show them where they are in this profession and how far they need to come
Pretest gives an instructor a point of reference of which to start his/her class course. For one thing, it can reveal what students learned from previously covered lessons and have mastered or what needs further work or development. Another benefit to pretest is that it can assist with ideas for shaping future classes that will keep student engage in the course materials.
Gayle,
Yeah, although it may take a bit of time to prepare, the results are often quite revealing. Also, there's no format or specific length that's required, so the amount of prep time can as varied as the instructor desires.
Barry Westling
Sandra,
I think some students back away from "tests". A pretest is one way to begin to diminish anguish over the testing process, as my pretests are not graded and don't affect the grade in any way.
Barry Westling
John,
Right. It's a planning tool for the instructor.
Barry Westling
I think a pretest will help the instructor by giving something to work with. The instructor can then plan their lessons based on the student's different knowledge and learning styles. This helps us understand what delivery methods will work for each lesson.
I love the idea of a pretest! It's beneficial to all involved. It allows the instructor to gauge the current knowledge of the student. It allows the student to get a glimpse of their own knowledge base and possibly excite them for the knowledge to come.
It allows you to evaluate the students knowledge and this will give direction on the course topics you need to focus on and what you will be able to trim in the event you have to make up time.
