Short Answer Tests
I know that it takes longer on my part, but I am very particular about my tests. I will not use anyone elses test. I want to write them myself. Also, I will not use a true/false or mulitple choice test. I prefer to know that my students really do know the material. For that reason, I only give short-anwer tests.
I will not use a true/false or mulitple choice test.
I agree with you , I do the same , my students have to fill in the blank , he shows me who actually studied and who just try to make up the answer which is much more easier with multiple choice test .
Yes, as instructors, our first priority in testing is to assess knowledge and skills. Our second priority is making grading more efficient so we can spend more time dedicating ourselves to learning.
I have made ungraded quizes as learning aides. Every so often I give them a question that is multiple choice but every answer is correct or incorrect. When something unexpected happens during a quiz, they seem to handle tricky test questions better too.
Testing are designed to check the students pregress. It is with the help of testing that an instructor determine if the students is comprehening the materials persented. One must be very careful when designing test not to loose focus of these important notes. Whatever test you choose it must be strong in testing not only the stuednts but also the instructor ability in presenting the subjects. Allowing other instructors in the developing our tests helps us to determine the quality of our questions.I mean what are we afraid of.
This is so true James and I've found myself in a similar situation in the past. The internet is a powerful new way for students to cheat. It's also a powerful way to protect against cheating. A simple google search, for example, is often all I need to determine if a student has plagiarized a paper.
I once found a student with a cheat sheet. He said he found them online. I researched and found several answer sheets online which I reported to my manager, then changed all of my tests. Our tests were multiple choice, but now they have more variety. With the power of the internet, we need to protect our exams.
I gree with you. I do however have add a few multiple choice and true false questions to make sure that I have a variety on my tests howeve they are mainly fill in the blank
Technology certification tests are typically multiple choice scenario tests. Because of this, I usually provide my students with similar questions on their exams.
I decided to change things up a bit on my last test, and went with short answer instead. I knew that the concepts were extremely important, and that the students needed to know the terminology if they were going to be successful in the industry.
I was amazed with how many individuals failed the test. I actually had one student say "I studied for a multiple choice test. You're not going to trick us like that again are you?" Well, as can be imagined, now I'm considering giving out more short answer tests when basic concepts are being tested.
This is true Brian. We have to make incorrect answers close enough to the right solution that students have to think to get the right answer.
Multiple choice tests are fine as long as the choices of answers require thinking. If the incorrect answers are obviously wrong, the test is useless.
