This Q&A was adapted with permission from the book Chalk Talk: E-advice from Jonas Chalk, Legendary College Teacher, edited by Donna M. Qualters and Miriam Rosalyn Diamond –
Question
Dear Jonas,
Yesterday, I had the following conversation with one of my colleagues:
Me: Hi Bill. Sorry that I missed the meeting this morning. I gave a midterm exam yesterday, and they are taking forever to grade
Colleague: Why don’t you give short answer tests? Or just give multiple-choice tests with bubble answer sheets; then a computer could grade it
Me: I’ve thought about that. I know that it would save me tons of time, but the partial-credit tests let me better see the extent of the students’ comprehension, and many of the students really hate multiple-choice tests
Colleague: But then the grading takes time away from your other activities – like the meeting that you missed this morning – and, more importantly, since you’re tenure-track, you should be spending your time doing research, not grading.
This conversation led me to think about how much time and effort we, and the students, put into the whole testing process. We have to prepare the tests, review for the tests, take time to give the tests, record grades, hand the graded tests back and go over them, and then respond to students’ complaints about the grading. Of course, the students themselves have to spend a lot of time preparing for and taking tests
My question is: wouldn’t it be a lot easier for faculty, and wouldn’t more learning be accomplished by the students if we simply didn’t test at all? What is the real point of giving tests?
Signed: Tired of Testing
Answer
Dear Tired of Testing,
Tests are a method by which we try to evaluate students’ understanding of or ability to apply the material from a course; to answer questions or to solve problems – sometimes the questions are like ones they’ve seen before, and sometimes they are asked to use the basic principles and apply them in new, creative ways.
Such evaluations, even though imperfect, are important for three distinct groups: the students, the instructors, and external parties who hire our students or consider them for things like graduate school. Moreover, for both the student and the instructor, tests are an important learning device.
For the students, studying for tests is an important part of the learning process. It creates the need for the students to review material, to go over a wide variety of questions/problems, to isolate the most important and most basic principles, and to ask questions about fine points. The returned graded test provides a way for students to evaluate which topics they have learned and which topics need more attention. Also, studying hard and then getting a high grade is a great feeling, which can be very motivating for students.
For instructors, tests are one common method for assigning letter grades which are supposed to be indicative of a student’s mastery of the course material; we are required to produce these letter grades. However, instructors should also learn from tests.
Coming up with test questions which accurately reflect learning objectives for the course really forces an instructor to think about the topics which are the most fundamental in his/her course. The grades on the tests should help the instructor realize which objectives he/she needs to give more time to, or if all of the subject matter has been covered adequately. An individual student’s grade lets the instructor know whether that student needs extra work on specific areas. Finally, giving a student extra help and then seeing their grade go way up is rewarding and very motivating for the instructor!
In the end, the letter grades that we assign end up on a student’s transcript, which is important for the student to graduate and to then continue working in industry or working on an advanced degree. Despite the fact that everyone knows that there are limitations to what can be measured by written tests, they are the most common mechanism used for assigning grades. For many employers and academic institutions, a student’s grades are one important device to evaluate competence. This means that even after a student’s graduation, the tests that you give, and the grades that the student receives on them, can affect the student’s life far down the road.
Testing and grading are time-consuming and painful in many ways, but – for all the reasons given above – it is important to pay serious attention to the evaluation and encouragement of student learning in your courses.
As a final comment, I should mention that, of course, testing is not the only way to measure learning. Projects, presentations, problems, and other instruments can provide the same feedback, incentives, and contribute to grades, as well. In fact, they may create more genuine opportunities for learning. However, the points that I made above apply to these alternate evaluation methods as well. There is simply no way around it: evaluations of learning are important for many reasons, and any well-designed measure of learning will take significant time and effort from both the students and the faculty.
Sincerely,
Jonas
Quick Tip
Read other Teaching Challenges articles for suggestions on what types of tests to give, and for some alternative methods of summative evaluation other than the traditional exams and papers.
______
This content was adapted with permission from the book Chalk Talk: E-advice from Jonas Chalk, Legendary College Teacher, edited by Donna M. Qualters and Miriam Rosalyn Diamond.
Browse the complete Index of Teaching Challenges – Chalk Talk