Designing Effective Exams Janet Branchaw Carol Hurney Jenny Knight Alix Darden

Exams:  are a form of summative assessment  measure learning outcomes (the significant and essential learning that learners have achieved)  should align with learning objectives and formative assessment activities and assignments (use learning taxonomies to do this!)

Learning Objectives for This Session You will:  consider the process that you currently use to write exams and outline a plan to improve your process in the future  use a taxonomy of learning to align your exam questions with your learning objectives  practice writing different types of exam questions Nilson, L.B. (2003) Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors, Anker Publishing

How do you write exams? Consider the following: How often do you do summative assessment of your students’ learning (give an exam) during the course of a semester? When do you write the exams? How do you ensure that your exams reflect what was actually taught? How do you determine how much time it will take for students to complete your exams? How do you know if the questions you’ve written are clear and not prone to misinterpretation? What is your greatest challenge in writing exams?

Exam Writing Guidelines/Tips Examine early and often (low  high stakes) Compose exam questions immediately after you cover material in class to ensure appropriate “coverage” Use learning objectives to guide the writing of exam questions Start the test with some warm-up questions Ask a colleague (TA) to evaluate the exam for clarity, content and alignment with your learning objectives Proofread! Give detailed instructions and allow students sufficient time to complete each question (instructor time x 4) Use a variety of question types

Exam Question Types Objective Multiple Choice True / False Matching Constructed Response Short Answer Completion Essay Problem Solving Advantages, Disadvantages and Construction (handout)

Example Learning Objective Students will be able to predict and explain changes in nervous system activity in response to drugs that alter the function of nervous system proteins. Set up Smoking cigarettes introduces nicotine into the blood stream via the respiratory epithelium. Nicotine is a nicotinic acetylcholine (N-Ach) receptor agonist. Questions: 1.Where in the autonomic nervous system are nicotinic Ach receptors located? (Know, SA) 2.How will nicotine affect activity (the generation of electrical signals) in the parasympathetic (& sympathetic) division of the autonomic nervous system? (App, MC) a) increase activity b) decrease activity c) no effect 3.People smoke cigarettes in the morning to help them wake up, and also after stressful events to help them relax. Explain how the nicotine in cigarettes can produce these apparently opposing effects with regard to the autonomic nervous system. (Syn, Essay)

Taxonomies and Question Types Bloom’s Learning LevelSample MC Stem Question RememberWhat is a typical growth rate of the azalea? UnderstandingWhat is distinctive about the azalea compared to other spring-flowering shrubs? Application & Analysis (critical thinking) What happens if an azalea receives a plant food high in alkaline and low in acid? Analysis & Evaluation (critical thinking) Given highly acidic soil and an annual rainfall of 40 inches, what is the most effective plant food for an azalea? Analysis & Evaluation (Problem Solving) Your azalea is planted in full shade under the eaves of your house. Leaves are yellowing, and the plant has shown little growth in two years. What is the best treatment of this problem?

Your Turn  Pick one of your learning objectives  Categorize it in a learning taxonomy framework (e.g. Bloom it, Fink it)  Identify (or write) an exam question to assess that learning objective  Rewrite your question in at least two other formats

David R. Krathwohl, A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy: An Overview, Learning Taxonomies – Bloom

Learning Taxonomies – Fink 0 Learning How to Learn Self-directed learning Caring Developing new: Feelings Interests values Application Skills Thinking Managing projects Integration Connecting: Ideas People Realms of life Foundational Knowledge Understanding Remembering Human Dimension Learning about: Oneself Others ©2003 L. Dee Fink, Creating Significant Learning Experiences