This work starts with a brief overview of education in developing countries, to contextualise the use of the guidelines. Although this document is intended to be a practical tool, it is necessary to include some theoretical analysis of the concept of online assessment. This is given in Sections 3 and 4, together with the identification and…

Some practical guidelines for developing multiple choice tests are offered. Included are three steps: (1) test design; (2) proper construction of test items; and (3) item analysis and evaluation. (JMF)

Describes the structured overview, a chart that helps students associate known terms with new terms. Discusses a method of introducing the structured overview. The author then presents two exercises that reinforce learning of vocabulary and the relationship between key concepts: the scrambled overview and label-object matching. More advanced…

Presents expert advice on how to write effective tests and offers suggestions for teaching children how to take tests. (JMB)

The USS Constitution, one of the original three frigates in the U.S. Navy, celebrated its 190th anniversary in 1987. To commemorate this event and to study the naval history of frigates, five exercises were created that detail the history and focus on the USS Constitution. The exercises begin with a fill-in-the-blank test that teaches students…

Provides some suggestions for testing handicapped learners using essay and objective tests. Sources for audiotapes of textbooks and supplementary readings for visually impaired students are also indicated. (CMV)

A model was developed to provide a uniform method for vocational and technical education content experts to develop test items (written questions and performance measures) that are congruous with course-level exit competencies. The model is essentially a closed-system approach in that specific action verbs must be identified and operationally…

Research and practice in detecting and controlling for cheating on objective tests are reviewed and a small survey of attitudes and practices is reported. Potential of two computer programs to detect error similarities and use of multiple answer-sheet forms to control cheating are discussed. Teacher cheating is also addressed. (Author/MSE)

Based on the classic test-wiseness principles of J. Millman, C. H. Bishop, and R. Ebel, the STAR strategy streamlines the taking of timed tests. Before explaining the strategy to students, the instructor can convince students of the advantages of the strategy by administering a short test to determine students' test-wiseness. The STAR strategy…

In this practical, easy-to-use guide, suggestions are made for setting educational objectives and preparing a teacher-made test. Specific suggestions are made for selecting items for essay tests, multiple choice tests, completion tests, matching tests, and true-false tests. (BW)

This "toolbox" offers suggestions about how and when to create objective tests. Such tests are sometimes a quick way to find out how students are doing, and sometimes they help students focus on what they are doing in class or help teachers define the content that is worth knowing. The following suggestions are offered for developing objective…

The first of three sequels to the booklet "Student Assessment," this booklet begins by describing and providing examples of four different forms that objective questions can take: (1) conventional multiple choice questions; (2) true/false questions; (3) assertion/reason items; and (4) matching items. Guidance is offered on how to decide which type…

In this objective scoring procedure for assessing learning-disabled students' writing, a standardized process is used to collect writing samples, which are then scored for number of legible words, total number of words written, percentage of legible words, correctly spelled words, number of correct word sequences, and mean length of correct word…

Procedures used by 55 faculty in the evaluation of students in various academic areas in Indiana University were studied. The majority of respondents taught undergraduates, were male, and were experienced, full-time faculty. Business faculty used primarily essay tests and research papers, while physical science faculty used mostly objective tests,…

The essay test has the potential to remedy the discrepancy between announced course objectives and the objective test items that supposedly measure attainment of those objectives, according to the authors. Guidelines are provided for developing and administering essay tests. (Author/PGD)