What does a test do?
Well-constructed tests and quizzes can do more than capture students' grasp of the material - they provide detailed feedback on teaching and, as some studies suggest, they can increase student learning as well.
When to test?
A common testing schedule involves a midterm and a final exam. However, in Teaching Tips Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers, McKeachie suggests giving a low stakes tests or quizzes early on as, “an early test gets students started, in that they don't delay their studying until the conventional midterm examination, and it will help you to identify problems early, while they are still remediable” (1999, p. 88).
How do I design an effective test?
General tips for designing test questions
Strategies and Resources
General
Multiple choice exams
Essay exams
Giving tests and quizzes online
Discouraging cheating on exams, ideas for deterring and detecting plagiarism from the Teaching Commons.
Additional Readings
Available at the DePaul Library: 371.261 H157D1994 ↓
Haladyna, T. (1994). Developing and validating multiple-choice test items. Hillsdale, N.J. : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Available at Office for Teaching, Learning and Assessment ↓
McKeachie, W. (1999). McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers (10th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
---.(1997). Writing test items to evaluate higher order thinking. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn& Bacon.
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