Pretest
Even though some career colleges used pretests as an evaluation tool for faculty rather than an assessment tool for students knowledge, I certainly believe in the effectiveness of the pretest. They are a valuable tool in determining not only student knowledge, but in some instances they can give the instructor a hint of the learning abilities of the students.
Additionally, pretests can be a guiding light in determining and following course content. At the end of the course a posttest that shows improvement over the initial scores on the pretest sholud be a source of hapiness for the instructor, such a result means mission accomplished.
I agree! pretesting is a necesery tool to have idea of what to expect from the group course you are about to teach! I did these miself after been out of school for so many years.. memory fails when not in use!
Hi Luis,
I agree with your assessment of the value of pretests. This is why I use them in my courses because they give me much insight into where my students are and how I can best plan my instruction around their learning needs.
Gary
This use of a pretest and postest will give students a sense of accomplishment with regard to the newly acquired knowledge they have obtained from the course.
Hi Monica,
Good point and the reason why I use pretesting in my courses. It gives me a baseline to plan from when I am selecting instructional deliveries.
Gary
Hi Lynae,
Good use of assessment strategies. You are gaining a lot of information from your use of these tests. They will help you with you with your instructional planning.
Gary
I agree with pretesting students so we are aware of what knowledge they have and it also gives us the upper hand on addressing students needs as well as placement
I agree. Pretest is a valuable tool not only for the instructor to find out how much the students have retained the information but also for the student to find out where they stand at that point in time. As a student, this is an eye opener for me, it makes me realize whether I need to study more or if I'm in good standing with the material.
I use a pretest on the first day of class and then again on then last day. I do not use them as graded tests, but can show the students what they learned in the course.
I see is a problem is that many people read the actual test to a class prior to giving it. I don't feel this is the coreect way to "pre-test".
Hi Kris,
I agree. This method is not effective nor productive in terms of identifying student knowledge.
Gary
Pre-tests help a lot when gauging where the students are in the beginning then testing them again to see what they've from then to now.
I always go over all the questions on a test before giving actual test. I have them take notes to study. Then give them the test about a week later. This gives them the oppertunity to use the knowledge for there hands on skills. I find the majority this works well.
I don't have a pretest in my class, but we do have an Introduction Discussion Board (forum). From that I can get an idea of what experience students have in the subject matter. Also, one of my classes asks specifically for student experience and that greatly helps me understand the learning needs.
Hi Kay,
This is a great way to get a "fix" on your students. It is a comfortable and informal format that lets them share while you are assessing where they are at and how you will complete the final shaping of your course.
Gary
I agree that this may be a way to assess the level of knowledge of the students. A pretest does assist the Instructor in determining this knowledge.
I believe pretesting should be allowed for obvious reasons. If I were able to, it would give me some insight as to class knowledge helping me to structure the class accordingly. In the one class where pretests are allowed, the end is always an "Ah-ha" moment as students see the progress made in three weeks.
