Module 39

This module was all about assessment. The different types as well as the advantages and the disadvantages to them. I thought that the most interesting things about reading this module was to think back to some of the assessments that I have had.

For example, when reading about the multiple choice tests being multiple guess or the questions being written well I thought about the AP exams where the questions are extremely well written and how they actually penalize for guessing. I would not want to penalize my students for guessing on tests, however, I do feel that it is important for the questions to be written well and clearly in order to truly assess what a student knows without trying to trick them. When reading the section about the essay tests I had to laugh to myself a bit. It talks about how you want to make sure that the questions are phrased clearly and that there are not too many essay questions on a test. This is something that I would try to never do to students because I know how I am when I take essay tests or even just really long with multiple choice tests. I have the tendency to get sick of the test and so I do well on the first one hundred or so multiple choice questions or on the first essay but questions after that point I just want to get over with so I will be done with the test.

I also liked where it talked about alternate forms of assessment. Specifically, portfolios. I think that portfolios are a great form of assessment because it is easy to see progress. I was able to look back at some of my portfolios and see how I had grown and truly feel as if I had learned something. It is hard to get this same satisfaction from a test because even if you do well on it, sometimes you look back at it and wonder if you could still answer half of the questions.

Finally, I also thought a lot about rubrics. I thought about how, though it isn't mentioned here that I remember, it is good to have a clear idea of what you are trying to assess before you start assessing. Rubrics can give you, and your students a clear idea of what you are looking for and how they will be graded. I have had experiences when there was no rubric for an assignment and I had no idea what the instructor wanted from me or how they were going to grade whatever I gave them. I have also tried to assess things without a rubric and it is hard to be fair because there is not a clear idea of what is really exceptional or what needs improvement because you don't actually know what you are looking for until maybe you come across it in someones paper. And then it is hard to compare between papers.