Student Evaluation Test Construction (17 links)

Constructing Written Test Questions For the Basic and Clinical Sciences. National Board of Medical Examiners. A 10 chapter manual providing in-depth guidance on constructing objective test items. Topic include: Issues Regarding Format and Structure of Test Questions, Importance of Psychometric Considerations, Multiple-Choice-Item Formats, Technical Item Flaws, Writing One-Best-Answer Questions, Testing Application of Basic Science Knowledge, Testing Application of Clinical Science Knowledge, Extended-Matching Items (R-type and Pick N type); Interpretation of Item Analysis Results, and Establishing a Pass/Fail Standard. Includes a useful appendix of sample item-writing templates, items, lead-ins, and option lists for the basic and clinical sciences. Full 181-page guide (PDF file)

Designing Tests. University of Tennessee at Chattanooga - Teaching Resource Center. Briefly outlines the appropriate use, advantages, disadvantages of multiple choice, true/false, matching, short answer, and essay test questions, including tips for constructing good types of each. Provides similar suggestions for oral exams, portfolio assessment and performance measurement.

Handbook for Teaching Assistants: Elements of Effective TA-ing: Evaluating What You've Done (Chapter 2). University of California - Santa Barbara. Provides a good, concise overview of the key elements involved in testing and grading, including test construction do's and don't, grading objective and essay tests, and evaluating your teaching. Written for TAs but also handy for new/novice faculty.

How Can We Construct Good Multiple Choice Items?. Cheung, D & Bucat, R. Using research evidence from the literature, identifies eight key guidelines for writing good multiple choice items, with examples drawn from chemistry.

How to Prepare Better Multiple-Choice Test Items: Guidelines for University Faculty. Burton, SJ, Sudweeks, RR, Merrill, PF and Wood, B. An excellent booklet designed to help teachers (1) determine when to use/not use multiple choice items; (2) apply commonly-accepted criteria to evaluate multiple-choice items and identify specific item flaws; (3) improve poorly-written multiple-choice items; and (4) construct well-written multiple-choice items to measure a given objective.

How to Prepare Better Tests: Guidelines for University Faculty. Brigham Young University Testing Center. A concise, 17-page booklet that covers the key aspects of testing ia a Q&A format. Topics include: Developing a Test; Preparing, Assembling, and Administering a Test; Evaluating a Test; Scoring a Test and Interpreting and Using Test Results. Also includes a Checklist for Effective Tests and bibliography.

IDEA Papers - Improving Multiple-Choice Tests (No. 16). Kansas State University. Defines the common structure and various types of multiple choice items and outlines their strengths and limitations. Specifies preconditions for using multiple choice items, when to use them and how to construct good items. Recommends how to organize the layout of a multiple choice test and describes the use of multiple choice interpretive exercises (a series of multiple choice items posed in response to a common stimulus). Provides a list of references for further reading.

IDEA Papers - Improving Essay Tests (No. 17). Kansas State University. Defines the two major types of essay questions (extended and restricted response), outlines the strengths and limitations of essay tests and recommends when to use essay items and how to construct and score them. Provides a list of references for further reading.

Improving Your Test Questions. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign - Center for Teaching Excellence. An excellent tutorial on writing good test items. Cover the following topics: Choosing between Objective and Subjective Test Items; Suggestions for Using and Writing Test Items; Multiple Choice; True-False; Matching; Completion; Essay; Problem Solving; Performance; and Two Methods for Assessing Test Item Quality. Includes checklists for evaluating test items and references for further reading.

Information for Designers of Instructional Systems: Test and Measurement Handbook (Air Force Handbook 36-2235). United States Air Force. A 240 page in-depth handbook providing information and guidelines for applying current instructional test and measurement learning theory to the design and development of criterion-referenced tests and the measurement of student performance, and information and guidelines for conducting validation of instructional resources and evaluation of instructional systems.

More Multiple-Choice Item Writing Do's and Don'ts (ERIC Digest). ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. Provides a fairly comprehensive list of recommendations for writing multiple choice items based on both psychometric research and logical deduction.

Selecting Test Items. Virginia Tech. Provides a table that compares and contrasts the pros and cons of various test item types and specifies what learning outcomes they best measure. Recommends that you select item types based on the outcomes you are trying to assess.

Test Blueprint. Virginia Tech. Provides an example of a test blueprint that lists your goals and objectives in the left-hand column, and the outcome behaviors you are using across the top row. Using this format, each cell identifies the assessment items used to measure those outcomes.

Test Construction Manual. Cornell University - Center for Learning and Teaching. Details in outline format the key procedures and steps involved in constructing good teacher-made tests. Discusses test planning (identify learning outcomes; preparing a table of specifications; and choosing appropriate test item types); test preparation (constructing good test items; reviewing and editing items according to guidelines; arranging items and groupings; preparing directions for the test and individual items; deciding on method of scoring); and test analysis and revision (performing test/item analysis to determine difficulty, discrimination and reliability; deciding to retain, edit or discard items; revising the test as a whole if necessary). PDF file.

Testing and Assessment Issues. Florida State University. Chapter 12 in Instruction at FSU: A Guide to Teaching & Learning Practices. Describes the types of tests that are typically used in university settings and general tips about testing, including how to plan a test and how to write test items. Also discusses ways of dealing with cheating.

Writing Multiple-Choice Test Items (ERIC Digest). ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation. Provides basic suggestions based on conventional wisdom for planning and constructing multiple-choice tests, including stem and option writing.

Written assessment. Schuwirth, LW & van der Vleuten, CP. Full text of British Medical Journal article on this topic (BMJ 2003; 326: 643-645), from the ABC of learning and teaching in medicine series (clinical reviews).