Asking the Right Questions: Designing Tests to Build Learners Jennifer Hall, PhD Associate Director, CETL Graduate Student and PTI Services jenniferhall@gsu.edu

How do students study for exams?

How we THINK students study for exams They keep up with all of the reading. They attend class and take careful notes. They meet with their classmates to discuss difficult topics. They make appointments with their professor to learn material. They define terms as they go and relate them back to their reading. They practice and apply concepts. They reflect upon their learning.

How do students REALLY study for exams?

How students REALLY study for exams Check to see if anyone has a copy of last semester’s exam. Ask “will this be on the test?” Get together the night before the exam and trade notes because they weren’t all there every day. Flip through the textbook and look for any highlighted or italicized words. Chew grape flavored gum because it helps with memory. Stay up all night with plenty of coffee or Red Bull. Cram Search the web for tips on studying: https://www.fastweb.com/student- life/articles/the-20-study-tips-for-finals

Why is there a disconnect?

Two Sad Truths About Students Students tend to see each course as an isolated instance with no necessary connection to any other course. Once they have completed a course, they often feel that they’ve mastered the concepts of that course and may now move on to new, unrelated ideas that they will master by completing the next course. Even the best students, if you allow them, will binge and purge for the final. They will, over the course of one or two all-nighters, cram their heads full of data, dump it onto the exam paper, and promptly forget it.

Two Sad Truths About Faculty We tend to see each course as an isolated instance with no necessary connection to any other course. Once students have completed our course, we often feel that they’ve been introduced to the concepts of that course and may now move on to new, possibly unrelated ideas that they will become competent in by completing the next course. Even the best teachers, if we let ourselves, will fall into the trap of believing that memorization equals learning, and we will use our students’ exam scores to prove that we’ve done our job.

What do we know about learning and how can we use that to help us design tests?

From “Too Much Teaching, Not Enough Learning: What is the Solution” by Heidi Lujan and Stephen DiDarlo Learning is NOT memorization. It is the acquisition of sets of skills students can use to find information, apply it, and consider it in new contexts. Learning involves more than considering concepts. Learning requires understanding and internalization. Learning must allow for evolution and change. Ideas are not static, so learning cannot be static either. Learning develops out of what students already know, so students must have the freedom to form connections in their own ways.

Preparing an Exam: Initial Questions to ask. Do I need to offer an exam? How do I avoid reinforcing student misconceptions about learning and exams? What are my learning outcomes, and how could an examination prove proficiency? How do I want them to prepare for the exam? How can I create an exam that will illustrate the scope of their learning and further their understanding of the course materials? What is the most effective exam I’ve ever taken, and what made it stand out from the rest?

What does an Effective Exam look like? It offers an opportunity to demonstrate not only content knowledge, but also skills: retention and transfer. It provides a space for students to explore new concepts by drawing connections from what they might see as unrelated components of the class. It affords a chance for students to think like teachers by creating their own questions. It includes a balance of question types to address different learning styles and provide all students with the opportunity to illustrate what they have learned. It enables the instructor to conduct legitimate assessment of understanding, rather than of rote memorization.

Examples of Exam Questions Less Effective: Which of the following is true, choose a, b, c, or d. More Effective: Here is a problem, choose all of the solutions that apply. Less Effective: Here is a word. Define it. OR Choose the definition. More Effective: Here is a word. Define it, and provide an example of how it works. Less Effective: When did this happen? Give me a date. Or Choose a Date. More Effective: What was happening during this time? What were the major influences? Less Effective: The same type of question. More Effective: A variety of question styles requiring different skills (analysis, synthesis, comparison, etc)

cetl.gsu.edu Jennifer Hall jenniferhall@gsu.edu Questions & Ideas cetl.gsu.edu Jennifer Hall jenniferhall@gsu.edu