for students to write out how to complete an assessement. i believe t lets then display there thoughts, and really shows them what they know and what they need to work on
Well, as archaic as they may be, good ole objective testing still has its place in assessing students, but unlike the past, it is far from the only method!
I also like to use short writing assignments, and presentations. I use to require research papers, but I think it is important that students "become the experts" in a particular topic, and then present it to the class. I am continually amazed at the quality of the work that so many of my students produce when they give their presentations as the culminating activity of the course. It is the best two days of the semester for me! I often teach lab courses, so lab assignments are another way I assess, and this is done in small groups of 2-4 people, so I gt to listen to the discussions, and sometimes the disagreements that take place over the material, and I learn a lot about what they are learning, and assimilating.
I teach veterinary technology students, so it is imperative that there is some sort of skills assessment as a component of each class the students complete. I have difficulty writing multiple choice, true false, and matching questions that assess more than just general knowledge, so I frequently use short answer questions to assess higher level learning. With essay questions, it is difficult to write questions that don't involve some sort of opinion and these can be very difficult to grade objectively, but I do use this type of question occasionally.
This was quite an interesting subject for me. I always look first at the objectives of the course and create a test that will demonstrate the students have met those objectives. I pay attention to words such as recognize, demonstrate, discuss, describe and perform.
Hi Edna - Thanks for your post to the forum. I like your use of filling in the blanks in a discriptive paragraph. While you could of course use stand alone unrelated sentences for multiple choice, the descriptive format puts the concepts into context which, as you mention, helps the students to really digest the material. Best wishes! Susan
For written tests in my lab classes, I strive to help students remember processes through a decriptive paragraph with blanks where they choose the correct answer by multiple choice. I think this helps them actually visualize what they did in lab and remember the correct answer.
Eventhough we are teaching a technical skill, I feel it is very important for students to be able to verbally communicate. I find that there are students who may need extra time and attention to ask them one-on-one to verbally explain an answer to me to help them choose an answer on a written test; actually help them through the cognative process. This seems to be necessary in both the classroom and the lab. We simply have more students who are visual learners.
Hi Richard- Thanks for your post to the forum. Projects are also effective assessments, particularly for the disciplines that are traditionally more "hands-on". Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I think term papers are the best method of student assessment. You have the six levels of complexity knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. It may be I'm biased -I was a lit major - but I think the best learning I ever had was through the composition of a final paper.
As a nutrition instructor, I use mainly multiple-choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank. Although, after completing this unit, I may try to experiment with short answer or essay questions as well, where it is appropriate.
Hi Steve- Thanks for your post to the forum. Although your formal assessment may be limited to multiple choice, you are getting the additional feedback you need through your effective use of one-on-one and small group assessment. Excellent!
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
In our classes, we are bound to multiple choice questions for assessment. What I have done is to ask questions in the lab as to what a student is doing and why. This approach seems to be effective since the student is in a far smaller group setting and therefore feels a little more comfortable answering questions. Furthermore, if the student is off track, I'm able to explain the correct procedure or show them why. In the class, I occasionally ask very specific questions that are clear and to the point to assess learned knowledge. All of these methods,in my experience, has helped the sudent understand the objective a little more clearly.
I belive we need to use a variety of tests in order to effectively gauge student learning in as much as there are multiple learning styles. A tactile learner will better demonstrate ability using a skills based test while an auditory learner would would be better assessed with a written test.
Hi Debra- Thanks for your post to the forum. I agree that often application assessment is absolutely necessary. Asking students to go to a higher level through application and synthesis is preparing them to be able to succeed in their careers. Best wishes- Susan
I feel the same, Sara. It is through the use of assignments or projets where you can really gauge what a student learned through how well they demonstrate the knowledge and skills through these type of activities.
The most effective way of assess student learning is looking at how they are applying knowledge. Depending on the type of exam or quiz,it just may be asking the student to regurgitate information but may not really know if they understand the concepts and how they apply. Learning definitions is important, but application and synthesis of the material is much more vaulable in meeting the learning outcomes. So, engaging the student to perform certain tasks or creating a paper, or research a topic where they can draw comparision from is much more effective way of measuring learning.
Hi William - Thanks for your post to the forum. I think that perhaps, in the intro accounting classes, it might be harder to use real world scenarios. But, as the basics are mastered, those scenario based assessments become important. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
The most effective method is to give them problems that accountants would have in the 'real world' The difficulty is that I never seem to have enough time in the class room to teach, assess and review the basic material, much less introduce problems that I feel would adequately test their abilities to succeed in business.
Hi Faith- Thanks for your post to the forum. You are wise to use both practical and writtrn assessments. Student sometimes complain that if they know how to apply a specific skill there is no need to know all the theory/concepts behind it. However, as we know, unless they understand the reasoning they will not be able to expand their skill level as needed. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
For the classes that I teach both practical and written assessments have been effective. My students are learning new exercise techniques and need to be able to know exactly how to perform them to be successful in their future careers but they also need to know the factual and reasoning behind each one.
