I’ve recently been asked for my ‘top tips’ for writing interactive computer-marking assignment (iCMA) questions. I thought I might as well nail my colours to the mast and post them here too:<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Before you start writing iCMA questions, think about what it is appropriate to assess in this way \u2013 and what it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Think about what types of iCMA question are most appropriate for what you want to assess. Don\u2019t assume that multiple-choice and multiple-response questions are more reliable than free-text entry questions \u2013 they aren\u2019t!<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Write multiple variants of your questions \u2013 this enables you to use the same basic template in writing questions for multiple purposes, reduces opportunities for plagiarism and gives students extra opportunities for practice. However, in summative use, make the variants of similar difficulty.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 For multiple response questions (where students have to select a number of correct options), tell students how many options are required (otherwise students get very frustrated).<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Check carefully that each question is unambiguous. Does it use language that all students should understand? If you want an answer in its simplest possible form, is this clear?<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Think carefully about what you will accept as a correct answer. Do you want to accept miss-spellings (e.g. \u2018sulphur\u2019 instead of \u2018sulfur\u2019), surplus text etc. If in doubt, have surplus text at the end of a response removed before the response is checked. Students are not happy if their response is marked wrong because, for example, they have indicated the precision of an answer by typing \u2018to 3 significant figures\u2019 at the end of a perfectly correct numerical answer.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Wherever possible, give feedback that is tailored to the error that a student has made. (Students get very annoyed when they are given general feedback that assumes they don\u2019t know where to start, where to their mind they have made a \u2018small\u2019 error late in the process, e.g. given incorrect units).<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 If a response is partially correct, tell the student that this is the case (preferably telling them what is right and what is wrong).<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Check your questions carefully at each stage, and \u2013 especially important \u2013 get someone else to check them.<\/p>\n
\u2022\u00a0 Monitor \u2018real\u2019 use of your questions and look at student responses to them. Check that your variants are of sufficiently similar difficulty. Be prepared to make improvements at this stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I’ve recently been asked for my ‘top tips’ for writing interactive computer-marking assignment (iCMA) questions. I thought I might as well nail my colours to the mast and post them here too: \u2022\u00a0 Before you start writing iCMA questions, think … Continue reading