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Assessment Recommendations
QUESTION RULES | DESCRIPTION/ EXAMPLE |
Questions must focus on objectives |
Focus questions on what you most want people to know at the end of course. Avoid testing trivial topics. |
Questions should assess knowledge or skill |
Focus on content. Write questions clearly with correct grammar and spelling. Consider the reading level. |
Incorrect choices must be plausible |
Good multiple choice questions have realistic incorrect answer choices. Avoid giveaway choices | |
Use Question Words |
Begin question stems or phrases with a question word. Examples: Correct: How often does a student need to attend to get a good grade? Correct: If a student has a concern, what is the first step in addressing his/ her concern? Incorrect: Select two (2) features of… | |
Objectives Drive Questions |
A question should reflect the objective. |
If an objective involves problem-solving, then test question should involve problem-solving. |
For example, a problem-solving question might provide a scenario. |
Avoid Negatives in Stem |
Phrase the question stem in the positive. Examples: Correct: A student has not been given correct information. What could you do to address the problem? |
Incorrect: When writing good questions, which of the following is NOT important? | |
Use Scenarios to assess higher-order thinking | Ex- Correct: Given the scenario shown, which solution represents the best method for preventing patient falls? |
Limit number of answer choices | Use consistent number of answer choices. Limit to 3 or 4. Do not create questions in which all answers are correct |
Use plausible distracters | Distracters should not include give away answer Distracters should be plausible Identify common misconceptions or errors |
Design Evaluation |
Create test questions that align with your stated objectives and test the level of comprehension desired. | Multiple choice questions: test knowledge, comprehension, application, and analysis. They are limited because they can be less valid due to guessing and poor distracters True/False questions: are easy to score and quick to complete for the learner. Because there is a 50% chance of selecting the correct answer, they are not as valid as other forms of assessment. Short answer and matching questions: Save space and test information similar to multiple-choice, but may take longer to score. Essays: Test higher level skills and give insight into learner’s understanding. Essays test only focus on a few concepts, and take longer to complete and score. |
Writing Questions
Please write questions that correspond with each of your learning objectives. At least 10 questions will be pulled from a “test bank” to ensure each learner has a unique test. The more questions you write for the “test bank”, the greater the variety will be between tests and the more difficult it will be for users to cheat.
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