Advantages of Multiple Choice

---

st How  Do  We  Measure  the  21  

Century  Student?  

st 21  Century  Learners  

th st 20  Century  vs  21  Century  

Terminology    

s  Lectures  à  Discussions   s  Lecturer  à  Facilitator   s  Whole  Group  à  Small  groups   s  Independent  à  Collaborative   s  Single  tasking  à  Multi-­‐tasking   s  Teacher-­‐centered  instruction  à  Student-­‐centered   instruction  

Standardized  Tests   s  Multiple  Choice   s  Short  Answer/Fill  In   s  True/False   s  Matching  Questions   s  Extended  Response    

Multiple  Choice     s  Contains  three  elements:   s  Stem  that  presents  the  problem   s  Correct/Best  choice     s  Several  distractor  choices  

s  Correct  answer/certain  amount  of  points  awarded   s  Incorrect/No  points  or  penalty  points   s  Unanswered/0  points  (to  discourage  guessing  i.e.   SATs)  

Advantages  of  Multiple   Choice     s  Less  time  per  question   s  Large  amount  of  information  can  be  tested   s  Accurately  scored  (one  right  answer)   s  Item  analysis     s  Question  difficulty   s  Question  discrimination  

s  Cost  effective  (time)   s  Exam  Security  –  able  to  generate  multiple  versions  

Disadvantages     s  Medium  to  high  Instructor  Preparation     s  Questions  are  open  to  misinterpretation  (test  taker   confusion)   s  “Multiple  guess”   s  Effective  in    rote  memorization    

Essay  Form  Advantages     s  Test  students’  broad  knowledge  of  course  content     s  Requires  critical  thinking   s  Students  demonstrate  knowledge,  creativity  and   originality     s  Students  must  supply  answers  –  No  guessing   s  Easy  to  write  questions/less  time  to  construct    

Disadvantages   s  Longer  time  to  answer  (Students  have  to  think,   organize  and  compose)   s  Difficult  to  score  (time  consuming,  labor  intensive)   s  Limited  amount  of  questions   s  Students  with  good  writing/verbal  skills  may  have   advantage  (possible  complications  with  international   students)    

Construction  of  Essays   s  Clearly  state  questions   s  Integrate  course  objective     s  Start  with  action  verb     s  s  s  s 

Compose     Devise     Evaluate     Compare/Contrast  

s  Give  students  a  suggested  time  limit  on  each   question  and  max.  points  allotted  to  that  question    

How  to  Prepare  Students   s  Advise  to  go  to  lectures/take  notes   s  Complete  assigned  readings   s  Participate  in  discussion  sessions   s  Organize  and  prioritize  information     s  Focus  on  what  you  know/look  for  action  verbs  (they   tell  you  what  you’re  doing)    

Rubric   s  Scoring  tool     s  Describes  an  evaluation  criteria     s  Often  developed  in  the  form  of  a  matrix   s  When  faculty  collaborates  it  promotes  shared   expectations  and  grading  policies      

Holistic  Rubric   s  Answer  is  read   s  Grade  based  on  overall  quality  of  response   s  Advantages:   s  Quick  scoring   s  Good  for  large  groups  

s  Disadvantages:   s  Doesn’t  provide  detailed  information  

Analytic  Rubric   s  List  of  the  major  points  the  student  should  have   s  Provide  a  score  for  each  criterion  met   s  Score  is  more  consistent     s  Advantages:   s  Provides  more  detailed  feedback  

s  Disadvantages:   s  More  time-­‐consuming  to  create/grade  

Development  of  Rubrics   1.  Determine  the  type  of  rubric   2.  Identify  major  points  students  should  include   3.  Specify  the  characteristic  to  be  emphasized  in   answer  (in  rows)   4.  Assign  point  value  for  each  criteria   5.  Discuss  with  colleagues     6.  Review  Feedback   7.  Revise  and  update  

Rubric  Calibration   s  Explain  rubric     s  Want  each  faculty  member  to  interpret  the  rubric  in   the  same  way   s  Describe  the  scoring  rubric  and  its  categories   s  Assign  point  values  to  breakdown  of  categories  and   total  at  end    

Rubric  Calibration  cont.   s  Give  each  scorer  a  copy  of  a  students  exam     s  Ask  each  scorer  to  independently  score  the  exam   using  the  rubric   s  Compare  everyone’s  rating  and  display   s  Discuss  differences  and  develop  a  consensus/final   review   s  Start  the  grading    

Student  Feedback   What  do  you  like  better  (MC  vs.  Essay)?   s  MC:  “My  wrist  hurts  from  writing”   s  MC:  “I  could  be  drunk  and  ace  the  test.”   s  MC:  “If  I  want  to  quickly  be  done  with  the   test,  but  as  an  actual  test  it  stinks”   s  Essay:  “MC  test  retention  of  facts  but     rarely  understanding”   s  Essay:  “Expressing  myself  in  writing  in  my  strong  suit”  

Overall  Reaction   s  77%  of  the  students  favor  multiple  choice   s  s  s  s 

Availability  of  options  to  choice  from   Convenient  format   Freedom  from  having  to  organize  and  write  answers   Possibility  of  guessing  and  copying    

s  70%  believed  grades  on  essay  are  more  indicative  of   knowledge    

Essay  Consideration   s  Need  to  meet  with  the  grader  twice:   1.  To  explain  rubric   2.  To  calibrate  and  grade  

s  Time  (very  consumptive)   s  Room  restrictions     s  Administrative  support     s  Lunch/Compensation    

Any  Questions?