TEST DESIGN Presented by: Danielle Harrison

INTRODUCTION  What is a test? “Any activity that indicates how well learners meet learning objectives is a test” (Horton, 2012). Creating effective tests improves the effectiveness of e-learning and also aids in defining clear objectives. It is important to make sure a test is necessary and that the reasons for testing are clear, before developing test questions.

WHEN IS FORMAL TESTING NEEDED?  There are three conditions that warrant using formal tests with recorded scores: 1.) Learners require specific skills, knowledge, and attitudes 2.) You do not know whether learners possess those skills, knowledge, or attitudes. 3.) A test is the best way to provide that assessment

WHY TEST?

*GOOD AND BAD REASONS TO TEST* Good Reasons It allows learners to apply what they have learned Motivates learners to focus on the subject matter Gauge what skills learners have mastered and assess their knowledge Bad Reasons To torture learners To fulfill the stereotype that courses must have tests To get use out of an expensive testing tool

WHAT ARE MY TESTING GOALS?

SELECTING THE RIGHT TYPE OF QUESTIONS?  It is important to decide what type of questions you want to have for your test and what information you want to gather, before developing the actual test.  There are four categories to consider when selecting the right type of questions: View category chart on the next slide…

CATEGORY CHART:

COMMON TYPES OF TEST QUESTIONS Type of Question:Use to Measure the Learner’s Ability to: True or FalseMake categorical, either-or judgment Pick-oneRecognize the one correct answer in a list Pick-multipleRecognize multiple correct answers in a list Fill-in-the-blanksRecall names, numbers, and other specific facts Matching-listIdentify associations between items in two lists SequenceIdentify items in chronological order CompositionCreate an original piece of work PerformancePerform a step of a procedure

HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE QUESTIONS There are numerous types of test questions, but they all share similar characteristics regarding their content:  Item number  Lead-in  Question  Instructions  Choices  Action buttons  Constraints  Feedback

FEEDBACK  It is important to give the results or feedback of how well learners did on the test. Learners generally crave feedback from their tests. Report scores simply and directly.  Tell leaners three things:

RESULTS PROCESSING  One of the best ways to improve tests is to monitor the symptoms of easily corrected problems, after numerous students have taken the test. These are some of the things to look for, in order to improve tests. Questions with lower than normal success rates. Questions are too hard or unclearly phrased. Questions with higher than normal success rates. Questions may be too easy or something is giving learners a clue to the correct answer. Questions that many learners skip. Questions may be hard to understand, take too long to read, or be too difficult to answer. Large number of questions left unanswered on timed tests. Time may be needed to be increased or number of questions decreased.

CONCLUSION  In conclusion, it is important that we test because we need to know how students are doing in school. Teachers have used a variety of tests to gauge how well students are learning and if their instruction has been successful or not. However, creating an effective test is just as important as the content itself.

REFERENCES  CAESL, (2004). Center for Assessment and Evaluation of Student Learning. Retrieved on August 6, 2012 from  Cunningham, G.K. (1998). Assessment in the Classroom. Bristol, PA: Falmer Press.  Ward, A.W., & Murray-Ward, M. (1999). Assessment in the Classroom. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co.  Horton, W. (2012). E-Learning by design (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Wiley.