My tests and exams are extremely straight forward and the instructions are explained in "black and white", no grey area. I guess that is just the way it is after 25 years in the military.
This "Streamlines" testing and grading, cuz there is no room for misunderstanding the instructions.
FIrst, I have to admit that I am in no way a fan of technology. I believe it makes us lazy and that too much of education uses it to do our jobs. It can enhance, but only if it is used properly, to assist us, not to teach for us. I teach writing courses and I believe I am doing my students a disservice if I do not read their entire essays. This is the only way that I am going to help them to be better writers. We as a society are way too relient on technology!!!
Sounds like a great approach Kenneth and brings up an important point. When we invest on being clear with students upfront, it reduces the volume of questions that they have for us later on. So the investment is typically worthwhile. Sounds like you've had 25 years to get the instructions just right!
Great perspective Bruce and thanks for sharing. As instructors, we must balance our use of technology with over reliance on it. To your point, when we become too dependent on technology, we can sometimes lose some important capabilities.
One of the problems is that we do not have a lot of control over the way our assignments are formatted. But, I can ask my students to include the questions in their responses. A lot of times our students will submit work and not include the answers ... and they won't even number them sometimes. So grading can become a nightmare. I think I might make some grading templates to have them use next Quarter. Thanks for the suggestions!
Very good ideas of streamling the testing events! I like short answer tests coulped with multiple choice.
Outstanding ideas! One can really streamline both the lecturing preparation and test taking.
I do mostly multiple choice and tru and false tests so my time is maximized when grading them. I am also glad to know that I have always had the students switch homework assignments and we grade them in class, I also make the students write their name at the bottom of the one they are grading to make sure they are being honest.
The idea of highlighting the important words in an essay response are very benefical in correcting the essay quickly. The method of only recording the answers on the right side of a test makes it easy to find the answer and speeds the process. I have not considered this for mutlple choice test before; however, utilization of the same method of keeping the answers to the right will expediate the grading process as well. Great ideas.
Excellent! Go ahead and give this method a try. It's a wonderful time saver but also helps your students focus on answering the questions correctly too.
I teach Math. Most of these method would not work for me. I would love to give a computerized final and other tests/quizzes but the computer labs at my school only have 15 computers in them and I consistantly have 30 students in my classes. Ans I can't trust the students to not cheat. Math is just one of those subject where mult choice and T/F and matching do not work well.
Sounds like you are already implementing effective grading strategies Jerry. Great to hear! These methods likely open up more time in your calendar for focusing on things like office hours and addressing other student needs.
That's tough Kori. With math, there is usually one solution to each problem - but the back end process of computing the answer is often important to see. There are some disciplines that are harder to grade than others.
The module points out some excellent exam formats. By giving the students a specific space, box, or area for the answer means the grader doesn't burn time looking for the answer.
For math exams, I've found it's especially helpful since a student's thought processes may wander around and over the solution. It's good that they must specify what they really think the solution is.
I think that consistancy with the test also is a great help to the students, they know what to expect as to how the test is set up.
Actually I use a pretty good format that grades quickly and easily to begin with. I use Exam generator for mostly multiple choice questions with their printed grading tool and reserve essay questions for bonus questions on the end of the test. I use those essay questions for foundational precepts only and make them concise for ease of memory and grading. When there is no test I can make ito my own, I may switch to short answer and "A, B" true/false questions to conserve writing and grading time. Again, short essays are reserved for foundational knowledge.
Yes, consistency is key with students. When we can appropriately set expectations for how they will be tested and graded, they can focus more of their energy on the course materials and content.
Thanks for sharing Larry! Yes, I can see how this method would apply well to grading in mathematics. It's nice to minimize time spent searching for the answer and maximize time for evaluation and feedback!
I usually always teach the same courses. I have 3 versions of each test that I rotate and I have my students use their own paper to write their answers on. This way I can quickly grade without having to flip through the packet and I don't have to print tests each time I teach a course.
That's great to hear Cassandra! It's wonderful when we teach the same course semester after semester. Each semester, we can invest a little in streamlining our lecture and exam materials. After a few years we can effectively be on autopilot, adding new content as our fields' continue to discover and innovate.
