Pretesting Really Works
Usually on the first day of a module I give a comprehensive exam of the course to see what the students already know (Knowledge Base). The very last day of the module I give a exit exam with the exact same questions and the scores are at least 80% higher. The students really enjoy this because they can see how much they have learned during the course.
I have done this with about 60% sucess rate. Sometimes the pretest has been seen by students as an attempt to draw attention to their areas of weakness rather a way to illustrate progrssion in their learning. I think it has worked best when the pretest has minimal vocabulary and terminolgy questions.
A pretest is given prior to a 6 week course. The students are asked questions pertaining to all subjects to be covered in the course. The expectation is that they will not know the answers or even what the questions are asking. After the pretest I feel I have the attention of the class when i speak.
n@justskeit68
I love this idea. I will put this suggestion into practice.
Thank you,
Laura Ralphs
