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Item stem: What is the name of the presenter today? Correct answer: C. Dr. Morrow Distractors: A, B, & D
09/15/04 Jennifer Ann Morrow, Ph.D. 3
Advantages of MCQs
Easy to score Can tap in to different cognitive levels (see Blooms Taxonomy) Useful for diagnosing student difficulties (e.g., when you use common errors as distractors) Provides an excellent basis for post-test discussion (you should discuss why distractors are wrong) Requires relatively little time to answer
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Disadvantages of MCQs
Items are open to misinterpretation by students It can be time-consuming to construct good test items It is difficult to create questions that tap in to higher levels of learning (i.e., Evaluation) Creativity cannot easily be tested Students may find that items are too picky They encourage guessing
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Blooms Taxonomy
B.S. Bloom and colleagues (1956) created a taxonomy which divides cognitive objectives into a hierarchy of subdivisions from the easiest to the most complex. Blooms Taxonomy
Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation 09/15/04
Knowledge
This is defined as the remembering of previously learned material. This is the lowest level of learning.These are the easiest types of MCQs to create. Learning objectives at this level
Know common terms, Know specific facts Know methods and procedures, Know basic concepts Know principles
Question verbs: define, list, state, identify, label, name, who? when? where? what? 09/15/04 Jennifer Ann Morrow, Ph.D.
MCQ: Knowledge
1. What is the capital of Rhode Island?
A. B. C. D. Central Falls Middletown Portsmouth Providence
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Comprehension
This is defined as the ability to grasp the meaning of material.You can have respondents do the following:Translate material from one form to another, Interpret material, Estimate future trends Learning objectives at this level Understand facts and principles Interpret verbal material Translate verbal material to mathematical formulae Estimate future consequences applied in data
Question verbs: Explain, predict, interpret, infer, summarize, convert, translate, give example, account for, paraphrase x?
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MCQ: Comprehension
1. Explain what is meant by the phrase cogito ergo sum?
A. B. C. D. I know, therefore I am I am, therefore I know I think, therefore I am I am, therefore I think
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Application
This refers to the ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations. Here you have to apply rules, methods, concepts, principles, laws, and/or theories. Learning objectives at this level Apply concepts and principles to new situations Apply laws and theories to practical situations Solve mathematical problems Question verbs: How could x be used to y? How would you show, make use of, modify, demonstrate, solve, or apply x to conditions y?
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MCQ: Application
1. If you have 8 $100 bills and you spend $200 on shoes and $100 on books what % of the original amount of money do you have left?
A. B. C. D. 24.5% 37.5% 62.5% 86.5%
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Analysis
This refers to the ability to break down material into its component parts so that its organizational structure may be understood. Learning objectives at this level Recognize unstated assumptions Recognize logical fallacies in reasoning Distinguish between facts and inferences Evaluate the relevancy of data
Question verbs: Differentiate, compare / contrast, distinguish x from y, how does x affect or relate to y? why? how? What piece of x is missing / needed?
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MCQ: Analysis
1. Compared to laboratory settings, field settings have more ______ validity and less ______ validity.
A. B. C. D. internal, external construct, content external, internal content, construct
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Synthesis
This refers to the ability to put parts together to form a new whole. Learning objectives at this level Write a well organized theme Propose a plan for an experiment Integrate learning from different areas into a plan for solving a problem Formulates a new scheme for classifying objects
Question verbs: Design, construct, develop, formulate, imagine, create, change, write a short story and label the following elements:
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MCQ: Synthesis
1. Change the below research scenario to make it a design that will allow you to show cause and effect and be able to generalize to a larger population.
Dr. Smith is conducting a study looking a differences in sense of belonging of first-year students. He is comparing two groups of students: Learning community and Traditional students. Students self-select into the above groups.
A. B. C. D.
Use random assignment to groups Use random selection of participants Both A & B None of the above
Jennifer Ann Morrow, Ph.D. 16
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Evaluation
This is concerned with the ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose. This is the highest level of learning. Learning objectives at this level Judge the logical consistency of written material Judge the value of a work Judge the adequacy with which conclusions are supported by data
Question verbs: Justify, appraise, evaluate, judge x according to given criteria. Which option would be better/preferable to party y?
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MCQ: Evaluation
1. Evaluate the strength of research design described below:
Dr. Arnold randomly assigns 100 students who have elected to be in her study on pilot training. She controls for various confounding variables in her study. She utilizes a pretestposttest control group design. A. Excellent, it has high internal and external validity B. Great, it has high internal validity and moderate external validity C. Good, it has moderate internal validity and moderate external validity D. Poor, it has low levels of both internal and external validity
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Keep the length of responses options fairly consistent all of your response options should be approximately the same length so students cant easily figure out the correct answer just by looking at the length of the response.
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Avoid the use of humor when developing options you should not use humor when constructing your distractors. This eliminates a response right away.
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Avoid using All of the Above research shows that this type of question is more difficult and less discriminating. Avoid the option I dont know research shows that this is not a valid option.
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HAVE OTHERS REVIEW YOUR QUESTIONS IF POSSIBLE GET FEEDBACK FROM MORE THAN ONE PERSON. WORK IN TEAMS AND CRITIQUE EACH OTHERS QUESTIONS
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