Ruben, outside of measuring comprehension, can tests and other forms of assessment be used as part of the learning process? Thanks for anything you can share on this topic.
James Jackson
Fear factor may not be the way to utilize tests in a "safe learning environment" but the test is a tool for measuring comprehension of the material. Many students have test anxiety because now their lack of understanding or mastery of the material is front and center. However, if the objectives are clear and concise, a student will know if they are prepared or not. This can be assesed by the instructor that pays close attention to body language. I think the real challenge here is to identify those not comfortable or confident and work with that student a little more to give them securtiy and automony to not only tackle the test head on, but even actually feel good about being able to prove they are up to speed on the material.
Gina, YES! Always good to have some outcomes to go along with the techniques being used. Other readers will also find this incredibly beneficial so thanks for sharing and keep up the outstanding work. Your institution is very fortunate to have you on their team.
James Jackson
Actually, I do have positive results. My program is regulated by the AZ State Board of Nursing. The First Time Pass Rate from
Jan - May 2013 are: 78% written and 83% skills.
Jan - May 2014 are: 92% written and 100% skills.
I started all the reviews of test taking right around Halloween 2013. (It took a few months to work all the kinks out). I've noticed a significant change in how my studnets answer questions. They cross off the wrong answers on their exams, some even write why the answers are incorrect. In relation to the skills review, students do not rush through the task and state they are completed anymore. They are taught to pause when they feel they are completed with the assisgned skill, review all the steps in their mind they have just completed, go back and fix anything incorrect, then state they are completed. HUGE SUCCESS!
All of our state testing is also timed. The pressure of rushing through exams is enormous. Students not only are required to complete the wriiten and skills exam in a timely manner, but also have to maintain 75% passing grade on each exam. The skills portions are a tad more tricky, there are specific steps if not completed will results in an automatic failure. (there are 4 skills to be completed, each requiring 75%).
We have open lab three times/week for review, plus the review class for state boards once/month. I've implemented Mock State Testing and offer 1:1 tutoring when needed.
Our instructors are in constant contact with our students. I believe our campus is #1 in Retention in Delta. Keeping an open line of communication between students/faculty has also proven to add to our students success rates.
Hope you found this helpful!
Gina W.
Gina, great post and a good template for others to follow. Do you have any statistics with regard to how your students perform on assessments versus other students that do not receive this review and understanding of best practices when taking tests? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
I review how to take a test/quiz the first day of class. We review how to rephrase the question, put it into your own words. I ask them to cover all the answers with one hand, then think about what the question is asking you. I have them say what they are thinking out loud, tell me what the question is asking you and what you think the answer is. Then review the answer choices. Go through each answer and say something about each answer out loud. Does this answer even pertain to the question? Why /why not? Or, are three of the answer choices similar, and one is different? Taking away test anxiety increases security.
Raquel, other factors can also be part of the issue including different forms of learning disorders. The more you get to know your students as individuals the more you can adequately assess their need for more assistance. For some students they simply do not know how to study or know how to prepare for major assignments including assessments while for others they prepare hard and know the materials but the methodology of assessing their knowledge may not conform to their talents. I have mentioned this in other posts and it seems very appropriate here - One size does not fit all and the more you know your students the better you can guide and coach them towards the level of success they want.
James Jackson
I have learn from observing others when they use the fear factor with quizzes and exams, it only causes problems with the student learning ability and puts great stress on student. I've learned that students tend to do better in class when you help to remove the anxiety and stress from the classroom by giving the students time time prepare for any exams and quizzes that they will be taking. We don't want to set the students up for failure by not allowing them adequate time to prepare for testing.
Jason, great point and to back this up, what are some of the ways students can demonstrate what they learned from the test to possibly earn some points back they may have lost due to their lack of understanding initially on some of the key concepts? Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Karl, the great takeaway here is you as an instructor understand there is more than just lack of motivation at play here. For some students they can be incredibly motivated yet still have rocks in their road to success. The really GREAT instructors look past the simple and try to understand the reality which sometimes if much more complex. Thanks for sharing this critical piece of information and keep up the outstanding work with your students.
James Jackson
I encourage my students to think of tests not as a penalty but rather a tool to gauge the level of proficiency they have acquired to this point. Tests should not be looked at as a form of discipline, rather an opportunity to measure progress.
Agreed, personal anxiety is a very real and complicated thing to overcome. I speak from personal experiences. If I have students experiencing any of the many forms of anxiety, I try to help them with some of the tools I use. A lot of the help has to come from within the individual themselves, bringing out the inner strength, self-confidence, motivation, and keep the positive thinking alive and don't let the negative in.
Hi Sheila,
I teach design courses and have many students who identify themselves as poor test takers. (Some research shows this is a creative characteristic.)
Offering a variety of test/quiz formats can help. Short pop quizzes, multiple choice, essay, reports etc.
I've never considered a quiz or test as a discipline tool. One way to highlight important information after a lecture is to give a 10 question pop quiz. I do this often after important lectures. At first the students are horrified but once they become accustomed to the procedure I find that it helps with their note taking etc. The extrinsic students begin to also look forward to seeing how well they performed afterwards when done frequently and reviewed post quiz in same class session.
Many students associate quizzes and tests with being compared to other students in the class. Most students feel as though they don't measure up to the standards of the peers. This in turn brings upon them a sense of nervousness. Threatening a quiz or test only heightens that nervous and uncomfortable feeling. Thus, they will probably not perform to the best of their abilities.
sheila, I am interested in any research or direct experience you have that relates pop quizzes to higher rates of attending a class. Could be an interesting research project. In my experience the students that are tardy do so for reasons that have nothing to do with fear of missing a quiz. Your situation could be very different so I am very interested in learning more. Thanks for anything you can share.
James Jackson
Clarence, interesting analogy. My focus as always been on positive reinforcement and assessments should be seen by students as part of the learning process. Knowing where your knowledge needs improvement is a good thing but students need to know that there are ways to recover from a bad test. One assessment should never fully define a student's knowledge or effort in a class.
James Jackson
I have used pop quizes in past when I have students who frequently skip class or are late. I make the quiz simple enough so those who are present are not punished but those who are absent will be less likely to skip class in the future for fear of lowering their overall grade in the class.
Mina, I disagree. I often have students who suffer from test anxiety. Even when they do well on their assignments and homework and partiipate in class, they still fear taking a test. Often their test scores are very good on the test yet they still suffer from anxiety with each test.
I never thought of using a test as a discipline tool, that's interesting. That would make students even more afraid when it comes to taking a test. That would be like taking your child to the dentist because they had misbehaved.
