- Online
Quizzes
"We
may call them quizzes, drills, examinations, assessments,
competence monitors, or demonstrations of mastery. We may
cloak them as games or puzzles. Yet they remain an essential
ingredient for gauging a learner's progress."
~
William Horton
page 273
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Tests.... or
as I prefer to call them, knowledge assessments. Hard to write,
harder still to complete!
There are generally
two types of online tests you can create using online testing software.
A "test":
- is a graded
exercise
- can include
feedback
- records scores
for each individual
- automatically
saves the scores in the gradebook
- can be set
for multiple tries or one try
- can include
a timer which limits the amount of time a person has to complete
the test
- can have
a beginning and ending date for when the test is accessable to
students
- is used to
check for mastery of content, and to measure knowledge
- is used to
collect opinions, ideas, or demographic information
A "survey":
- is not graded
- does not
include feedback
- automatically
saves responses in a gradebook
- records
completion of the survey by an individual, but the responses are
not linked to a specific individual (thus their responses are
confidential and anomous)
There are many
rules and guidelines for writing good test items. Chapter 7 of the
Horton text, and also the related site link present guidelines for
several types of text question formats. Please do take time to read
and follow the guidelines as you create your own test questions!
Following are
some of my own recommendations for creating and using tests and
surveys.
- There may
not be a spell checker in the test editor. I usually create the
test items in Word, check the spelling, then copy and paste the
items into the appropriate test fields.
- Use a variety
of test item formats for questions.
Multiple-choice
True
False
Matching
Essay
Drag
and Drop
If you include
a short answer essay question, remember you do have to grade that
individually and record the score.
Follow the
guidelines for writing good test items!!
Feedback is
essential for questions in an online test. It is the only way an
individual will know if they have the correct information.
Consider a
test as another form of learning activity - include meaningful feedback
that helps the learner continue to learn. Don't use "Good!"
- instead reinforce the correct answer.
Use "constructive
feedback" for your test questions. Repeat the correct answer,
and elaborate on why the answer is correct.
Include references
to information in the feedback, such as "on page 21 of the
text ....". That way individuals can refer to the correct information.
Online
Test Security
Course developers
struggle with the concerns of online test security. Basically, there
is no foolproof way to verify that the person taking an online test
is the same person receiving credit for the test. Also, there is
no way to control the use of resource materials while they complete
an online test.
When test security
is critical for measuring and verifying an individual's mastery
of the content, consider having the student complete the test off-line,
in a face-to-face setting. There they can register for the test
with a picture ID and complete the test with a proctor monitoring
the process.
Because online
tests are not secure, I personally don't use online tests to verify
mastery of the content. I treat them as a type of practice activity
and encourage the use of materials and resources while taking the
test.
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