Constructing Tests

with Course Content

and Learning
Objectives In Mind
 Learning Objectives
• Upon completion of this workshop, the student should
be able to:
– Describe Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
– Compare and contrast Revised and
– Categorize action verbs according to the revised Bloom
Taxonomy
– Enumerate the types of test questions and cite
advantages and disadvantages of each question type
– Develop Test Items which correlate the various levels of
Bloom’s Taxonomy
– Using Revised Bloom’ s Taxonomy , Develop Test Items
that Match the Same Level of Learning Objectives
Old Bloom’s Taxonomy
 Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

Remembering Understanding Applying Analyzing Evaluating Creating

 Comparison of Revised and Old
Bloom’s Taxonomy
OLD TAXONOMY REVISED TAXONOMY

HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS

EVALUATION CREATING
SYNTHESIS EVALUATING
ANALYSIS ANALYZING
APPLICATION APPLYING
COMPREHENSION UNDERSTANDING
KNOWLEDGE REMEMBERING

LOWER ORDER THINKING SKILLS LOWER ORDER THINKING SKILLS

 Creating Learning Objectives
• What is a learning objective?
– A statement that describes the skill or
information that the learner (student) will
acquire after engaging in a learning activity
(instruction)
• When and Where Do We Use Learning
Objectives?
– Learning Objectives should be stressed before the
start of a lecture or learning activity
– Learning Objectives should be part of the syllabus
 Purpose of Learning Objectives
• To Focus Students on What is Important
• To Facilitate Lecture planning and
test/assessment development
• To Assist in Curricular Mapping (essential for
curricular mapping)
Learning Objectives and Curricular
Mapping

Accreditation Program/Curricular Course Objectives

Standards Objectives

Student Outcomes Learning Objectives

 Measurable Action Verbs For Creating
Learning Objectives
Creating

Evaluating Formulating
Hypothesizing

Inventing
Estimating
Critiquing Predicting
Monitoring Forecasting
Analyzing Measuring Producing
Experimenting
Checking
Breakdown Rating
Combining Assessing
Differentiating Diagnosing
Applying Deconstructing Judging
Outlining
Organizing
Distinguishing
Understanding Calculating
D
Dividing
Remembering Implementing
Classifying Using
Defending Illustrating
Describing Organizing
Explaining
Locating Interpreting Modifying
Reproducing Matching Mapping
Naming Paraphrasing
SO NOW YOU’VE WRITTEN THE
PERFECT OBJECTIVE…..

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT ?

ANSWER: Students “Bomb” Your Exam

 Types of Test Questions

• True/False Questions
• Multiple Choice Questions
• Matching
• Short Answer Questions
• Essay Questions
• Fill-in-the Blanks
 CLASSROOM

DISCUSSION
TRUE AND FALSE QUIZZES
 TRUE AND FALSE QUESTIONS
• Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels:
– Remembering (LEVEL 1)
– Understanding (LEVEL 2)

• Strengths:
– Easy to create
– Students can answer several questions per minute

• Weaknesses:
– Easy questions
– May not accurately assess knowledge because students
have a 50-50 chance of guessing correct answer
TIPS FOR WRITING T/F QUESTIONS
• TRUE-FALSE OR ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE
ITEMS
– ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE CONSISTS OF A
DECLARATIVE STATEMENT
– ONLY TWO POSSIBLE ANSWERS
• TRUE OR FALSE; CORRECT OR INCORRECT; YES OR NO;
FACT OR OPINION; AGREE OR DISAGREE; RIGHT OR
WRONG
TIPS FOR WRITING T/F QUESTIONS
• AVOID BROAD GENERAL STATEMENTS
• AVOID TRIVIAL STATEMENTS
• AVOID THE USE OF NEGATIVE STATEMENTS
• AVOID LONG, COMPLEX SENTENCES
• AVOID INCLUDING TWO IDEAS IN ONE STATEMENT
• AVOID USING OPINION THAT IS NOT ATTRIBUTED TO
SOME SOURCE
• AVOID USING TRUE STATEMENTS AND FALSE
STATEMENTS THAT ARE UNEQUAL IN LENGTH
• AVOID USING DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBERS OF
TRUE STATEMENTS AND FALSE STATEMENTS
 Matching Questions
• Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels
– Remembering (Level 1)
– Understanding (Level 2)

• Strengths:
– Useful when covering discipline with lots of facts
– Useful for comparing related ideas
– Useful for testing cause and effect associations
– Easy to score

• Weaknesses:
– Time consuming for students
– Does not test higher orders of learning
– Student guessing
– Does not evaluate knowledge of isolated facts or concepts
– Promotes rote memorization
 TIPS FOR WRITING GOOD MATCHING
QUESTIONS
• USE ONLY HOMOGENEOUS MATERIAL IN A SINGLE
MATCHING EXERCISE
• INCLUDE AN UNEQUAL AMOUNT OF RESPONSES AND
PREMISES, AND INSTRUCT THE STUDENT THAT
RESPONSES MAY BE USED ONCE, MORE THAN ONCE,
OR NOT AT ALL
• KEEP THE LIST OF ITEMS TO BE MATCHED BRIEF
• ARRANGE THE LIST OF RESPONSES IN LOGICAL
ORDER
• INDICATE IN THE DIRECTIONS THE BASIS FOR
MATCHING THE RESPONSES AND PREMISES
• PLACE ALL OF THE ITEMS FOR ONE MATCHING
EXERCISE ON THE SAME PAGE
 Multiple Choice Questions
• Bloom’ Taxonomy Levels
– Applying (Level 3)
– Analyzing (Level 4)
– Evaluating (Level 5)
– Creating (Level 6)
 Multiple Choice Questions
• Strengths:
– Minimum of writing for student
– Can cover broad range of content
– Versatility; can cover a lot of topics
and test different levels of learning
• Weaknesses:
– Difficult to construct good test items
 TIPS FOR WITING GOOD MCQs
• STEM SHOULD BE MEANINGFUL BY ITSELF AND
SHOULD PRESENT A DEFINITE PROBLEM
• STEM SHOULD INCLUDE AS MUCH OF THE ITEM AS
POSSIBLE AND FREE OF IRRELEVANT MATERIAL.
• AVOID NEGATIVELY STATED STEMS.
• ALTERNATIVES SHOULD BE GRAMMATICALLY
CONSISTENT WITH THE STEM.
• ITEM SHOULD CONTAIN ONLY ONE CORRECT OR
CLEARLY BEST ANSWER
• UNDERSTANDING MEASUREMENTS SHOULD CONTAIN
SOME NOVELTY
 TIPS FOR WITING GOOD MCQs
• ALL DISTRACTORS SHOULD BE PLAUSIBLE
• VERBAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEEN THE STEM AND
THE CORRECT ANSWER SHOULD BE AVOIDED.
• RELATIVE LENGTH OF THE ALTERNATIVES SHOULD
NOT PROVIDE A CLUE TO THE ANSWER
• CORRECT ANSWERS SHOULD APPEAR IN EACH OF THE
ALTERNATIVE POSITIONS EQUALLY BUT RANDOMLY.
• USE SPARINGLY SPECIAL ALTERNATIVES
• DO NOT USE WHEN OTHER ITEM TYPES ARE MORE
APPROPRIATE.
 New Testing Items:
Hot Spot Questions
• Labeling and MCQs with a new Twist
• Utilized by online standardize exams
• Hot Spot Questions require the student to
click on a picture in order to answer a
question.
• Users indicate the answer by clicking a specific
area of an image
• Test Student Application and Evaluation skills
 Hotspot Questions
• Identify the planet that has the least density
in the solar system
 Essay Test Items
• Bloom’ Taxonomy Levels
– Applying (Level 4)
– Evaluating (Level 5)
– Creating (Level 6)

• Types:
– Short Answers
– Full Essays
 Essay Test Items
• Strengths
– Permit students to demonstrate achievement of
higher level learning objectives
– Students have the opportunity to use
their own judgment, writing styles, and
vocabularies
– Students preparing for essay tests focus on broad
issues, concepts, and interrelationships rather
than on specific details
 Essay Test Items
• Weaknesses
– permit only a limited sampling of content learning
– not efficient for assessing knowledge of basic facts
– Subjective, students with better writing skills and
vocabulary get better scores
• Requires the development of a grading rubric to
reduce
bias
– Students tend to bluff and ramble
– Time-consuming to grade
TIPS FOR WRITING ESSAY QUESTIONS
• RESTRICT THE USE TO THOSE LEARNING
OBJECTIVES THAT CANNOT BE MEASURED
OTHERWISE
• CONSTRUCT QUESTIONS THAT WILL CALL FORTH
THE SKILLS SPECIFIED IN THE LEARNING
STANDARDS
• PHRASE THE QUESTION SO THAT THE STUDENT’S
TASK IS CLEARLY INDICATED
• INDICATE AN APPROXIMATE TIME LIMIT FOR
EACH
• AVOID THE USE OF OPTIONAL QUESTIONS
Action Verbs for creating learning outcomes (Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy)

Level 1. Remember

Choose Describe Define Identify Label

List Locate Match Memorize Name
Omit Recite Select State Count
Draw Outline Point Quote Read
Recall Recognize Repeat Reproduce

Level 2. Understand

Classify Defend Demonstrate Distinguish Explain

Express Extend Give Examples Illustrate Indicate
Interrelate Interpret Infer Judge Match
Paraphrase Represent Restate Rewrite Select
Show Summarize Tell Translate Associate
Compute Convert Discuss Estimate Extrapolate
Generalize Predict

Level 3. Apply

Apply Choose Dramatize Explain Generalize

Judge Organize Paint Prepare Produce
Select Show Sketch Solve Use
Add Calculate Change Classify Complete
Compute Discover Divide Examine Graph
Interpolate Manipulate Modify Operate Subtract
Use

Level 4. Analyze

Analyze Categorize Classify Compare Differentiate

Distinguish Identify Infer Point out Select
Subdivide Survey Arrange Breakdown Combine
Design Detect Diagram Develop Discriminate
Illustrate Outline Relate Point out Separate
Utilize

Level 5. Evaluate

Appraise Judge Criticize Defend Compare

Assess Conclude Contrast Critique Determine
Grade Justify Measure Rank Rate
Support Test

Level 6. Create

Choose Combine Compose Construct Create

Design Develop Do Formulate Hypothesize
Invent Make Originate Organize Plan
Produce Role Play Tell Compile Drive
Devise Explain Generate Group Integrate
Prescribe Propose Rearrange Reconstruct Reorganize
Revise
Rewrite Transform
Additional information about Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy is available here:
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/bloomrev/index.htm
C:\My Documents\Committees\CTE\April 15 Presentation\Action
Verbs for creating learning outcomes.doc