Multiple choice questions
I am concerned about the amount of retension with multiple choice exams.In my opinion these exams offer little more than good guess responses.
I much prefer fill in the blank questions, as it allows me to really measure the retension of the material.
I have always made up my own tests using multiple choice, matching, fill in the blanks usually with a word bank, yes/no questions and if their answer is no, I have them explain why; I also make up scenarios using bolded terms, abbreviations/acronyms and phrases that pertain to the subject and they have to interpret what is bolded. I've found that if the students can see how these may be used in the "real world", it helps them understand the material. I never use true/false because I feel these questions can be very confusing.
That is excellent Peter. Using different types of questions will definitely help students with retention of material. I currently use Multiple choice, fill in the blank, True/False, and essay questions.
I use multiple choice questions for many reasons:I use a text book that has resources for the instuctor: power point and test bank which includes multiple choice,fill in the blanks, and case studes.Then I save all the info I get ,Into files on the computer, easy to find and print. Big time saver.
I agree with you about the multiple choice questions. I often give students a two part exam. The first part consists of all multiple and multiple multiple choice questions. This is similar to the board exams they will have to take after graduation. The second part of the test is short answer question s and they often score much worse than they do on the multiple choice. I tell my students the M.C. questions prepare them for boards, while the short answer allow ME to understand how well they comprehend the material. You really have to know your stuff to be able to write out your answers. I feel like anybody can regurgitate enough material to pass a multiple choice exam.
John, Interesting approach! Sometimes reordering is all it takes to drive retention.
Dr. Melissa Read
I agree to a certain extent but I give the same multiple choice questions in a different order later in the course so that it helps with retention.
