Blackboard Seminar Series

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Blackboard Seminar Series

• Respondus
• December 5, 2008

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Good Assessment Strategies considering both
design and tools issues
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(No Transcript)
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Clear Learning Outcomes (Targets)

• Basic tips
• Use a wide range of thinking skills as action
  verbs in your outcomes
• recall, recognize,
  compare/contrast, analyze, summarize,
• synthesize, design
• Start by selecting three to five major concepts
  in your course and write
• some general learning outcomes for them
• Take each of these general learning outcomes and
  break them down
• in several specific concepts

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To Write Good Test Questions

• - Use your specific learning outcomes as starting
  point for your test questions
• For lower low-level thinking skills (recall,
  recognition) use multiple
• choices questions (typically available with the
  textbook)

• For higher-level thinking (e.g.
  contrast/compare, summarize, analyze) a
• combination of customized
• multiple-choices questions, and
• fill-in-the-blanks questions
• can prove effective
• Typically problems, case studies and small
  projects are more effective for this levels of
  thinking skills.

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To Write Good Test Questions (continuing)

• - Identify the majors constraints associated with
  your assessment
• If efficiency is the major constraint (e.g.
  large classes or lack of
• teaching assistants support) then multiple
  choices questions are more
• desirable
• If effectiveness is the major constraint (e.g.
  capstone courses, graduate
• level courses) then the nature of the thinking
  skill will drive the desirable type of question

• Find what affordances are offered by available
  assessment tools and use
• these affordances to efficiently administer your
  assessments
• (e.g. Blackboard easily grades multiple choices
  and calculation problems).

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What is Respondus?

• Respondus is a tool for creating and managing
  exams that can be printed out or published
  directly to Blackboard (or other content
  management systems such as ANGEL or WebCT).  
• Missouri ST has a campus license for Respondus,
  meaning any faculty member can have it installed.
   
• It is not currently part of our standard desktop
  or laptop build.