Book Image

Moodle 1.9 Testing and Assessment

Book Image

Moodle 1.9 Testing and Assessment

Overview of this book

Moodle is a free Course Management System (CMS), which is a web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites. Moodle also has many effective modules and assessment techniques for testing that can be used for any subject. Computer-based testing is inevitable in any online teaching course. As you consider the benefits of computer-based testing you will want to easily create tests and instantaneously assess them.Moodle 1.9 Testing and Assessment puts together a variety of modules and activities that allow us to easily create and deliver a variety of tests on any subject. It is a step-by-step guide that will assist you to develop and assess simple as well as complex quizzes and tests.You will initially learn to create different types of questions such as short answer questions, multiple choice questions, and so on. After you have learned to create questions, you will learn to integrate all of them in a Moodle quiz to create a complete test by tweaking the various options. Next you will learn to create and set up a Lesson, which you can use to create simple vocabulary or flash card tests or complex tests. You will learn to test and assess students through work submitted using Moodle Workshop. This module also provides an opportunity for self- and peer-assessment of your student's work. Then you will learn skill-specific tests such as listening, reading, speaking, and writing tests that will help you to judge a person's ability in a particular field. At the end of this book you will learn how you can grade tests using Moodle Gradebook. This hands-on guide helps you to establish optimal tests that can be graded using Moodle modules.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
Moodle 1.9 Testing and Assessment
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Testing with True/False


When using True/False questions to test students, there are a few assessment-related issues to keep in mind.

Simple

The math makes these types of items the least useful in some ways. Students have loved these questions for years, because regardless of whether or not they know the material, they have a 50 percent chance of guessing correctly. Because of this, these question types are probably not the best way to ask things in high-stakes types of tests. There are, however, ways to compensate for this problem, such as only awarding points for those reaching a minimum score.

On the other hand, these questions are simple to write. They only require, at minimum, a simple statement. Instructors wishing to simply see if a student is aware of a basic piece of information can create a list of them in just a few minutes.

Finding Value

Now, even though these types of items are not the best for summative assessment, they do hold some value for formative testing and self-assessment.

True/False in formative testing

In formative testing, we are concerned with teaching and instruction. These kinds of tests can help teachers guide students and help them determine student weaknesses or areas i which the teacher can provide additional instructions. If a teacher notices a large number of students are having trouble with the information being taught, the teacher can do several things: look at the way the material is being presented and see if there is a better approach to take with the class, give review sessions for those needing it, assign more time to the skill in question, or something else that will likely improve the situation.

By creating True/False tests in Moodle, which are fast and easy to produce, it is simple to create more formative tests, giving teachers an even easier way of checking on student progress. In addition, the use of the shuffle question and random question functions, which will be looked at later, allow any questions from the bank to be used. By creating a category based on a specific skill, you can load it with any questions you have based around that skill and Moodle will randomly generate tests for you. Assuming you are using the same types of questions focused on the same skill, you will be able to use the Quiz reporting tool to help you see any student improvement in that skill area.

Self-assessment

Self-assessment is about learning. It is about finding which areas you are weak in and working on improving them. Teachers that use this kind of activity are attempting to make their students become active and independent learners. Using True/False questions is a useful way to help students with this type of assessment. If you prepare a review quiz in Moodle using True/False question types, students can quickly see what they know and don't know. This knowledge will help dedicated learners decide how best to spend their time and energy.

Weaknesses in True/False

Even with the ability to compensate somewhat for guessing, with a 50 percent chance of guessing the correct answer at random, True/False itself is not the most effective item type available. In addition, students have no choice but to guess even if they don't know the answer. In fact, even if they don't want to answer because they know they don't know the answer, they are forced to either avoid clicking on either response option, or if they accidentally do click on an answer, make a guess. This situation is not all bad though, because there are some who argue that this process will force students to think carefully before selecting an answer. The problem is that there is no way to remove a response completely once one has been selected. An inclusion of a feature that would allow students to 'pass' if they didn't want to answer, I feel, would be a great addition. It could help in assessment and validity issues related to testing in Moodle.