As we developed our course and decided on the course learning objectives, we determined that we would not be able to effectively cover all the objectives during the allotted period of the resident phase of the course. We decided to put the more basic objectives into a distributed learning phase and have the students complete this phase prior to arriving for the resident phase. We use a pre-test to ensure that the students have achieved all the objectives of thge distributed learning phase; the pre-test also serves as a planning tool because the course instructor reviews the student pre-tests and can identify areas where a large number of students are having difficulties; he can then tailor the resident phase to address these areas.
Hi Keveka:
Another good thing these tools are great for is to reveael what kind of learner you have, making lesson plans more effective.
Regards, Barry
But isnt it safe to say that learners when they reach a certain level in the program should have some understanding of the career path that they have vested so much of their time in?
Should a pretest be given before every class and if so who should review the test to make sure it will properly guage the students apptitude?
I think that pre-testing is an excellent idea. Teaching in a career school has presented me with a number of challenges when compared with a standard college setting. Those challenges are largely based upon my tendency to think that the students possess a better academic background than they actually have.
I am frequently running into students with basic language deficits that have inhibited their ability to understand English, which compounds the problem of their attempting to learn the jargon used in medicine.
A pre-test would be an invaluable tool to help me determine where the class is in order to prevent them from feeling overwhelmed the first day.
Upon completing this unit, I feel that I may implement pretesting as part of my classes. It is SO hard to know exactly where EVERY student stands as far as base skills.
Pretests give you an indication of the background of your class. I always use them in a particular hardware class. It provides a great indication what the students already know, and what topics I need to spend more time on. I also use the results to plan labs, and may skip some labs on content they already have a handle on.
It will allow me to know what kind of a background understanding my students have on the subject. It will give me an understanding on where I need to start if I need to be very basic with my explanations or if I can bump it up a notch and be a bit more technical with the terms that I am using in my lecture.
Using pretests are an excellent tool for you to see what knowledge they have about the subject. I use a pretest for my into to computers class to see what I will need to concentrate on more during the quarter.
I am currently teaching a course that prepares the students to get their professional credentialing or certification. I am planning on using a pretest next week to find out where they are lacking in knowledge. I believe that this will give me more insight into their abilities and help me focus my presentation of the material with a plan of action. This should then help to increase their understanding of the material. I hope to get them to understand that they are also responsible and need to be better prepared to take the exam.
Pretesting seems like a good way to access students without making them feel as if they are being judged on thier lack of knowledge.
They can help me plan how i will deliver the material. I love the idea of having the students take the pretest without having to put their name on the test.
I utilized a pretest to begin my algebra class. It helped me to understand where I needed to start. I did not want to start too elementary if not needed.
It helped me to begin at the appropriate place so that the class could understand each step and not be lost.
By knowing what the capabilities of your students are, you will be able to plan for their needs and ability level, so as not to frustrate them with class work that is above their capabilities. The pretest will help keep students in school and possibly prevent droputs from occuring, if we are teaching to the students level of learning.
Being new to teaching, I haven't used a pretest. I plan to use one in my class. I've read many of the posts and I have learned the pretest is a great planning tool. I will use the pretest as a guide to identify the knowlegde level of each student. This can help me make ajustments to my teaching style and accomadate the student. It can also be used to gauge the progress of the class and build the student confidence.
Pre-testing can help and I have recently discovered that using them is a great idea. I assumed that I had students that were all taught the same content in the classes required before the ones I was teaching, but that just wasn't the case. Some were told certain things like medical abbreviations weren't important when others focused on them. This is a skill that needs to be learned and had I recognized that through a pre-test the first night, it would have saved a lot of catch up work midway through the class.
I always give a pre quiz to the clas as a group. We make a note of what we need to work on and stress in the upcoming material.
Using a pre-test can be good for those students who really don't need the class but did not score well on an entrance exam. This I think may be especially true in situations where the students don't test well when they are being timed. If there is a way to give the students a pre-test, them recommend they be allowed to test out od the course, you will save the student and yourself some grief. You won't have to try to teach a student that you cannot challenge with the course material, and the student can move on into a course that will challenge them.
Ruth Armstrong
Barry,
I agree that pre-testing can give students an idea of what is ahead for them. This may give them a general idea of how much time they need to spend outside of class studying as well.
Ruth Armstrong
Using pre-test can help in instructional planning, in that it gives you a sense of where students are and how easy or difficult it may be for them to grasp the content of the course material. In using the information from pre-test, you can modify lesson plans if necessary. You may alos be able to refer students who do not have the knowledge base reuired to take course prerequisites if they are available.
If the majority of the class does not have the skills required for the class after your pre-test assessment, you may think of ways to simplify the material.
Ruth Armstrong
Pretests are an excellent tool to assess the level of understanding of your students prior to the start of class. This will let you tailor your instruction to maximize learning. It can also help you work with administration with pre-requisites should you find trends that would dictate a change.
