I would love to focus on multiple choice type problems for most of my math sxams BUT in order for me to understand what the students know, I must have them show me how they understand it. It is a mathematical form of communication.
Grading process should aim at being objective and correct. Scantrons with correct key are good way. I combine objective scantron assessment with some manual checking as I think that" life is not all multiple choice or T?F" There are materials which have to be tested in other formats. MCQs should not be the only way of testing the subject matter.
I'm looking forward and hoping our quizes support these online tools are they easy to modify for content?
I agree with you Stefano that using already made PPT slides make life a lot easier for us. But the sad thing is that some schools don't use texts where publishers provide these resources. But thankfully, we can resort to the sites provided in this training to source for them.
I did not know about the online resources for making tests and quizzes, for creating and organizing gradebooks, and for creating discussion groups. I plan to start using these resources immediately. They are live-savers.
Musharaf, Sounds like you have developed a wonderful system that's working well for you. Keep it up! I love the feeling of giving exams back the same day. My students love and benefit from instant feedback too. Helps them quickly learn the right answer when they get things wrong.
Dr. Melissa Read
Naila, Excellent strategy and this will save you a tremendous amount of time. It will also help you become a more effective instructor too!
Dr. Melissa Read
Hi Dr. Read,
For the most part, I administer multiple choice exams. However, I did make a note that its a good idea to have the students write their answers off to the side to make grading easier & faster. I'm thinking about taking that a step further and attaching an answer sheet for all exams. This will eliminate me from having the flip through a 5 page exam to locate answers (even if they are written out to the side).
To streamline my grading process I would utilize the True/False type of questions in addition to multiple choice. However, I definitely would limit the amount of essay questions to decrease the amount of time grading assignments. The module indicates that if you use the essay format then require the students to underline important information to help it stand out .
To be honest I thought essay exams were somehow more scholarly... and maybe to an extend they are but the procedure of having the students underline or call out to the side the important issues is an interesting technique...
I teach basic digital design classes and I try to create "practical" (hands-on) exams where the visual outcome is the same for each student... All of the students need to accomplish the same task... It is very easy to "see" (evaluate) if they understand the mechanical functions of the software being tested... much like a mathematical equation the outcome should be the same each time...
when it comes to the more advanced design classes the mechanical functions are as important as their ability to place elements with a good balance of positive & negative space... the outcome can be very different for each student and yet correct for each student...that is our challenge in the world of digital design...
Whenever possible, I use Scantron exams. Depending on the subject matter, I do, at times, utilize other formats such as; short answer, essay, true/false and matching. When using these formats, I always keep in mind grading and adjust these exam formats in such a way to allow for the easiest possible grading process.
I always give multiple choice and short answer questions because they are easy to make and grade. It gives me peace of mind because I return exam papers same day. I saves space on my desk and does not put extra weight on my shoulders.
Before I used to make my own class materials, but after working with Pearson and McGraw-Hill, I have saved so much time using their ready made PowerPoint slides, worksheets, and online homework and grading systems. These work great for my math classes, and I will keep using them in the future.
I often teach Psychology and Ethics classes, and have felt that to assess students' understanding of fundamentals I needed to use essay questions. Now I can use your idea to have THEM underline what's important in their answers and save a lot of time grading. Up until now, I have had bullets on my key for what I was looking for, but I like the idea to have the students think about what's important in their answers.
I think I can improve on utilizing technology to help organize and grade my exams and quizzes. This will help both free up additional time for myself but also help me to provide feedback to the students in my class. I am going to try to utilize the quizstar website and see if the students respond well to the technology. I’m looking forward to see if this works well for my class and the students.
I model most of my exams in a multiple choice format to simulate the licensing exam. This also makes grading easier especially at the end of the term.
I am pretty good at creating tests from scratch and making them relatively easy to grade. It’s when I teach that subject over and over again. I have a tendency to add and change questions to make them more challenging for the students. Multiple choice questions are good, however I think you get more of what the student knows by giving students short answer or essay. They do take a little longer to grade, but for me it lets me know the student understands the material. I will try the highlighting in the essay questions.
Based on what I learned in this module, I think that there are a number of ways that I could streamline my grading process. I frequently administer essay type exams, and having the students underline the important parts of the answers would definitely be helpful.
Annabel, I like this multi-part plan and it looks like it will work well for your students and their learning needs. Ii like the way you've decided to incorporate just a portion of multiple choice questions (30%). Some instructors don't have the luxury of completely moving away from essay formats. We streamline what we can.
Dr. Melissa Read
Gregory, I agree! Online grading is great. I like the way you are also leveraging materials from your text book publishers. They have been digitally innovative over the last several years and may very well have tools available for you to use at no additional cost.
Dr. Melissa Read
