I feel this is the best way to test
I try to avoid T/F questions. In the technology field there is always a special case that can invalidate a lot of questions.
Actually, I have been trying True and False, Multiple Choice,Matching, and Short Answer. For speed in getting the quizzes and or tests back I have mostly used multiple choice and true/false. When i teach Oral Pathology, I do use Power Point pictures, and I have had a lot of success with that. But I must admit, that my assessment of the students using multiple choice is questionable. I am not sure I am conveying the information to them as much as I would prefer.
I am a lab instructor,and in my class I choose to test my students verbally and by visual observations. Over the time of the course I also test students on sections discussed in class, such as instruments, specific dental vocab and many more; but the way I choose to test them is by asking students short answer questions and matching the definition of objects to the object itself.
In the respiratory care program the exit and board examinations are all designed as multiple choice. Therefore I tend to lean towards a multiple choice type of test to prepare my students for the actual exam that counts. That is not to say homework is short answer or essay.
One of my testing methods involved mock state boards, in which the student have to do the procedure as if they were taking the actual test. This method of testing really help prepare them for the license exam.
Hi Sharita, Thanks for your post to the forum. I agree that students should be tested on what we have taught them. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
I have to use written quizzes and test to assess their knowledge of the material but I also have to give "hands on" practical exams to see and feel if the massage students have grasped the material.
The criteria I use are from the student resources. I do not give surprise material the students do not have access to . If I use the internet or other information not given to them as course material, I make sure they know how to find it or have it.
Hi Michael, Important considerations when choosing assessments!
Susan Polick
When writing a test for my classes, I prefer to use a short answer or essay style test. I feel it allows the students to show me more of what they have learned. In culinary there are many ways to achieve the same end product and this gives them an opportunity to show exactly what they learned and how they apply the skills or concepts.
I take into consideration the amount and extent of the chapter content I would like the students to learn. I also take into account the learning styles of my students and how I teach the material. These factors help me determine the most appropriate testing format.
In our institution we dont have any say in what type of tests we should have as we use standard tests that have at least two or three, tru or false, multiple chioce and short answer questions.
Although they may not demonstrate a broad range of knowledge I like to use multiple choice and true and false. This way I am able to cover more of the material. The questions are formatted so that the answer isn’t so obvious thus forcing the student (adult learners) to think and recall information presented during the lecture.
I always make sure that the testing format I select will allow me to test that the students learned and understood each course objective and we able to acquire any new knowledge or skills necessary to complete the course. Often I use true and false questions to require a little more analysis than multiple choice. I also use completion questions because the students need to know the knowledge more thoroughly because they cannot select the best answer, they must supply. Essay tests are also great for this because they show just how much the student has learned and can apply, they cannot be studied for by simply memorizing, and the student must communicate their knowledge themselves.
We use a mixture of true and false, as well as mutiple choice. We also have lab with hands on projects and a end of course lab test as well as a classroom test.
In selecting my testing formats I like to consider several areas. One being what exactly am I testing, do I wants facts, do I want some knowledge of their writing ability along with their knowledge of their contentent knowledge. I also want to consider what are my students abilities to complete different types of tests. Also are tests already developed by the book vendors and what do those tests look like and test.
In my school we do very little in traditional testing. We have a final, but it holds only a little more weight than a lab project. Our curriculum is skill based. If you can perform in the lab you can pass - and with good grades. In a since the lab is the test. In one of our courses (40% of the school total) we even give credits on a monetary scale such that if a job is worth $250 in a Shop the student earns 250 credits to do the same job. The student most earn 6,000 credits for that course.
Still we are working on testing. Much of it will be on-line. Much of it will be like the testing at CEE - true false, multiple choice. We don't get to many valedictorians (we have had a couple of retired PhDs)so essay are mostly out of the question. ED103 has some valuable information that I will have my instructors utilize.
May I make two criticism on this course? First there seemed to me to be no mention of the primary purpose of testing - motivation. A good way to make someone lean something is to test for it. Or, if you don't test it they won't learn it.
I think of testing as a score in a ball game, shooting event, or the time in running event. Its a short term goal to shoot for. Long term is the test of life.
Second, like all the CEE courses, it is possible to pass the tests with out ever reading the text. The long answer is usually right and most of the answers are tautologies.
Hi Nicole, Thanks for your post to the forum. You are using a good mix of assessment types. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Hi Shannon, Thanks for your post to the forum. You are using a good mix of assessment formats! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
