IN & BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

" Why is teating so valuable?  Decades of research show that students learn what they are tested on!"
                                                                         from:  "Better Testing = More Learning" notes by Elena Berman

 
Topic 11 -  Effective Testing & Reviews

Class topics:

-  The functions of testing, pros and cons of different types of tests and suggestions for constructing effective tests of each type
-  Allaying students' anxieties and preparing them for your tests; adminstering tests
-  Conducting review sessions

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READING PREPARATION:

• In Tools for Teaching, read chapters 39-42 on testing, & 59 on reviews

• Read:  "Better Testing = More Learning"  (notes from a presentation by Elena Bermna)

• Addtional reading on Testing:  

  • Testing: The Details (Chapter 8 in McKeachie's Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers, 12th ed 2006) Constructing

  •  Valid Tests to Match Your Learning Objectives (Chapter 19 in Thomas E. Cyrs Essential Skills for College Teaching An Instructional Systems Approach, 3rd ed., 1995)  

  • Using Post-Test Analysis to Help Students See Correlation Between Effort and Performance  (The Teaching Professor v 23, n 10 - Dec 2009) 

SUGGESTED FOLLOW UP:

• In Tools for Teaching, read chapters 39-42 on testing, & 59 on reviews

• Watch this video illustrating Katie Hirschboeck's "Unique Group Testing Strategy" in one of UA's new collaborative learning classroom

• Learn about Katie's "Multi-Tiered Testing & Feedback Approach" used in her Introduction to Global Change course

• Learn more about the "IF-AT" scratch off answer forms used in Katie Hirschboeck's classes:

• The  Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique:  IF-AT Form -- better than a Scantron!  designed by Michael Epstein, PhD.