TIPS ON FAIR BUT STANDARD WAYS OF SETTING TESTS AND EXAMINATION QUESTIONS Akinyemi M. L. (PhD) Department of Physics, Covenant University, Ota PRESENTED AT EXECUTIVE ADVANCE 2015

Effective Teaching and Learning Cycle Assessment is one of the four stages in Teaching and Learning Cycle which is 30% of Ranking Parameter

Effective teaching and learning cycle  The cycle has no start or end point, with each step informing the next  Data and reflection determine where in the cycle one needs to be operating in per time.

Assessment for relax & lighter mood: Case Study_PHY 111 What did Archimedes discover when he ran out of bathtub naked shouting “EUREKA”, I have found it? (PBL _ riddles & jokes: Effective TLC move from experiential / everyday to abstract / technical

Teaching and learning cycle: PHY PLAN PHY111 - COURSE OUTLINE 1.UNITS AND DIMENSION ANALYSIS 2.SCALAR AND VECTOR QUANTITIES 3.PARTICLE KINEMATICS 4.MOTION IN TWO AND THREE DIMENSIONS 5.DYNAMICS 6.MECHANICAL WORK AND ENERGY 7.IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM 8. FLUID AT REST 9. FLUID DYNAMICS

GRADE AND ASSESMENT PLAN TEST/CONTINUOS ASSESMENT = 30% ALPHA SEMESTER EXAMINATION = 70% TOTAL = 100% Teaching and learning cycle: PHY PLAN

Teaching and learning cycle: Inspiration

You require longer time and patient to chew the chicken than you need to gulp down your custard. Is the chicken more DIFFICULT because it requires extra time? Likewise Physics requires more time! Teaching and learning cycle: Inspiration

Another word for examination is assessment What is assessment? Assessment is the process of identifying, gathering and interpreting information about students' learning Purpose  To provide information on student achievement and progress.  To assess how much each student has learned compared to fellow students in the same course or learning situation Introduction

5 Forms of Assessment include: 1.Formal and informal observation ( Good attendance and active participation in class) 2.Formal assessment tasks (assignments, term paper, tests etc) 3. Summative assessment at key points (End of Semester Examination)

4. Comparing evidence of achievement with other students (General performance of students in the course) 5.Comparing evidence of achievement against standards (Marking Guide)*** 5 Forms of Assessment include:

Summative assessment (End of semester examination) 1.Selected response items a)Multiple choice b)True/false c)Matching 2.Short answer a)Fill in the blank/ German Objective Questions b)One or two sentence response 3.Extended written response 4.Performance assessment (Laboratory Practical )

Cumulative versus Summative assessment End of Semester and Continuous Assessment CA includes attendance, participation, assignments, term paper, tests …

Comparing evidence of achievement with other students An ideal situation and students willingness 85 – 95% pass

Comparing evidence of achievement with other students Less than 65% pass generates issue at the board of examiners’ High Failure Rate = High Attrition Rate Anti world-class university practice

Fairness and Rigour in Setting Examination Lectures should be packaged into modules There should be clear indication of beginning and end of each module UnitsSuggested Number of Modules Expected Number of Questions to be set Expected Number to be answered by students 133 or or 664

Module coverage: Example 2 unit course At least three out of the five modules must have been thoroughly revised in the class, with sufficient tutorial questions solved before mid- semester. Just as Olympians need great coaching and time to reach their highest potential, our students need the same.

Module coverage: Question distribution  Questions should be well distributed across the modules  It will not be fair on the students if three out of five questions are based on the most difficult module, which majority of the class hardly grasped.

 By mid-semester enough is done in lecture delivery, PBL, Tutorials, worked examples etc. for average students to score a “C” grade and brilliant ones a good “B” in the final examination WHY?  An average student cannot cope with volume, and needs more time to revise the much he has learnt up to that point. Module coverage: Time consciousness

Fairness and rigour in setting examination  Shuffle and arrange the questions as you please  As long as each module carries the required number of questions  Question 1 based on module 3, question 2 on module 1, question 3 on module 5 …

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. -- Albert Einstein