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Issue 39: March 1, 2003 | « previous issue | next issue »

In this issue: Tips on Designing Quizzes

Contents:

Quizzes: A Few Design Tips
Faye Bradshaw, ISU Instructional Designer

In WebCT, the Quiz/Survey tool can be used to create quizzes, exams, and surveys.

Keep the following items in mind as you design or re-design your quizzes:

1. Give clear and concise directions at the beginning of the quiz.

2. Questions should present a definite problem and have an internal meaning.

3. Use "except" instead of "not" in negative questions.

4. Try having student explain why they chose a particular answer.

5. All questions should be direct and complete.

6. Test their skills by using a visual (maps, graphs, charts, reading times lines) in your exams.

7. Darken, underline, or italicize qualifiers such as "not," "except," or "only."

8. Place all correct answers randomly throughout the test. Remember: WebCT does not randomize your answers.

9. Add a little humor to your test to make the test taking situation less stressful (LOL: laugh out loud).

10. Keep questions relevant and simple.

For more information on the uses, advantages, disadvantages of writing test questions, visit the following site developed by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga:

Designing Test Questions
www.utc.edu/Teaching-Resource-Center/test-questions.html

Reference: Excerpts from Test Writing Tips for Teachers (Retrieved from the World Wide Web on 10/31/02)
www.gradebook.org/testwriting.htm

If you have questions on this book review or any instructional design topic, contact Faye Bradshaw at: extbrads@isugw.indstate.edu or (812) 237-2346.


Sketches: A Reminder!

Please don't forget to submit your article for the fifth edition of "Sketches of Innovators in Education"

"Sketches" is a collection of articles in which faculty members describe their experiences teaching with educational technologies.

All ISU faculty members who use technologies in their courses - either on-campus or distance - are invited to submit an article.

Guidelines and information are available at: http://indstate.edu/lifelong/sketches/sendSketches.html

Deadline for submission: May 1, 2003

Questions? Contact Melissa Hughes, Interim Director of Distance Education at ext 2027 or m-hughes@indstate.edu


Etcetera, Etcetera, Etcetera: ISU News, Interesting Links and So Forth

  • ProfQuotes is an online collection of humorous quotations credited to "...academics ranging from teaching assistants to famous scholars." Submissions are made anonymously by students; however, instructors' names and institutions are listed. The site, which was inspired by a University of Waterloo student newspaper, invites everyone to "...browse through our collection - maybe you'll find someone you know."
    URL:     www.profquotes.com
    Source: NYTimes.com (27 Feb 03)

  • All Abilities is a portal to links on disability resources. Links are organized by topics, including everything from Art to Transportation. The goal is "...to create an Internet Community and Center for Disability Resources."
    URL: www.allabilities.com
    Source: ResearchBuzz (#219 6 Feb 03)

  • The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing is an online writing primer that includes sections on: Thinking; Style; Structure; Evidence; and Mechanics. The online and forthcoming (September 2003) print-based primer are the creations of Michael Harvey, Assistant Professor of Business Management at Washington College in Maryland.
    URL: http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu
    Source: ResearchBuzz (#219 6 Feb 03)

  • West Point Goes Wireless. The Academy has installed 802.11a wireless access points in more than 350 classrooms and labs across campus. Colonel Donald J. Welch (Associate Dean for Information and Educational Technology) stated that by 2007, "One thousand cadets starting English classes at 7:30 each morning will all connect at the same time to access the same activities and information from multiple classrooms."
    Sources: DESIEN (Feb 03); Syllabus News, Resources, and Trends (18 Feb 03)

  • The Alexandria Library Scholars Collective hopes to revolutionize learning - and connect scholars and students around the world - by providing online access to every book in the World. The project hopes to revive the grandeur - and spirit - of Egypt's legendary Alexandria Library which was destroyed more than a thousand years ago - presumably by a fire.
    Source: NYTimes.com (1 Mar 03)


    Thought for March:

    We are what we repeatedly do.
    Excellence then, is not an act,
    but a habit.

    - Aristotle


    Interaction is an electronic newsletter delivered on the first day of the month via electronic mail. Each issue offers information on teaching, learning, course design and educational technologies, and events pertaining to distance education at Indiana State University. We invite your comments, articles, and suggestions. Please contact Interaction at     interact@web.indstate.edu.

    Interaction is published by the Office of Continuing Education/Instructional Services.


    Issue 39: March 1, 2003 | « previous issue | next issue »



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