Using pretests as planning tools
How can a pretest help you with your instructional planning?
Pamela,
Great plan. Prior knowledge about students learning can assist an instructor plan for the best utilization of their time as well as the student's.
Barry Westling
I use pretests whenever a new student joins class. I emphasize to the students that it gives both themselves and me a starting point, a point from which we will move forward together.
Sherry,
Time is so valuable. If I know less time may be needed, I'll use that knowledge to my advantage by spending a bit more time on on other areas that more time may be needed.
Barry Westling
Pamela,
Right. And usually students don't mind these kind of assessments. In my classes, I don't grade the pretest so there is no reason not to try their best.
Barry Westling
A pretest can assist me with planning showing me what a student actually know and what they may need additional knowledge in. It allows the instructor to focus on subject areas that the students may need more help in.
This tool allows the instructor to get a feel for where the student is from a foundational level. It helps an instructor know where a good starting point may be to prevent starting at a point which may be over the classes head.
Frank,
Many instructors do exactly as you've described.
Barry Westling
Using a pretest, in my opininon, should be given at the beginning of every class as a yard stick to find out where the student stands in terms of comprehension of his/her chosen field of study.
Gurinder,
Many instructors who teach more difficult course or topics realize, as you have, that any preparation or pre-assessment is a worthwhile effort, as insight into where the current class prior knowledge is valuable information when planning out adjustments to the curriculum.
Barry Westling
I think pretests is a powerful tool especially when you have a very diverse student population. I am new in my current teaching position and have adult learners as students. I noticed that many of my students find my classes quite hard. I am planning to include a pretest now to evaluate how much time I need to spend on basic concepts and also to identify the students who are weak in the concepts. I may suggest them to find study partners who can help them understand the concepts better or seek one to one tutoring in student success center.
Joshua,
This sounds like exactly what will benefit you, as the instructor, the most.
Barry Westling
I use pretests to find which students, or groups of students are farther along, or behind, so I can tailor the class accordingly.
Jan,
Scheduling always requires thought and planning. But in general, I think this is a terrific idea. I do something similar, and in fact, students cannot advance to the next term if they do not receive a minimal passing score on a mock credentialing exam we purchase for each student and that is given in the final week of the term. Even with a passing score, students learn where their weak areas lie, and are coached to identify and strengthen their weaker areas.
Barry Westling
I'm teaching a comprehensive review class that prepares students for their professional written national exam, so we review a LOT of material. This is my first time teaching the class and my first didactic experience. Previous instructors of this class have had the students take a simulated exam in the first third of the class to assess how the students do and to acclimate the students to the format of the exam. I'm thinking (actually a student suggested) that it might be a good idea to have the students take this "mock" board exam in the break before beginning class. In this way, the students will be reminded of the amount of material there is to cover and, hopefully, setting the stage from the beginning of the term. Thoughts?
Jennifer,
Courses that align with student needs are just likely to be more useful, interesting, and meaningful for students and their likely success in the course. Pretesting is among the methods that can provide that.
Barry Westling
Pretests are helpful in informing the instructor of the strengths and weaknesses in a class. This way, the instructor can adapt or adjust the course content accordingly.
Don,
Sure, identifying where the class as a whole is weaker is a chief purpose of a pretest. A fun variation of the pretest (or just checking for understanding) is the use of "clickers", the electronic equivalent of an audience participation survey. Once the software is installed, and students have received their hand-held clicker, a question is displayed on the screen, and after a preset time, students choose the best selection (a, b, c, d, or e), and the program then displays the results in a graph. All can see the results, and the instructor can discuss each of the choices, or see where the class as a whole is performing. There are low-tech versions of the same process, but this is a fun variation, if the resources are available.
Barry Westling
I love using a pretest. This will give the instructor a very good idea how strong or weak each student is in the subject matter before the class even starts. It will also give the students a great idea on what the course content will be focusing on. I can even go one step further and assess what questions on the pretest were the most missed questions. That way I can slow down my teaching when that test questions subject matter arises during the course. A pretest can also be a real eye opener if you have an over confident student that thinks he or she already knows the material. After the test it may make them think twice about their own knowledge of the subject matter that is going to be taught.
Richard,
Yes -- this is the great benefit of taking a small amount of time at the beginning of a course to assess the students, so that class time becomes more effective through examination of the results to determine where emphasis is or is not needed.
Barry Westling
