Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!ncar!noao!arizona!naucse!rrw
From: rrw@naucse.UUCP (Robert Wier)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Student and Course Integrity
Summary: multiple choice exams
Keywords: losers, responsibility, 90%, crap, 98%
Message-ID: <1104@naucse.UUCP>
Date: 9 Jan 89 01:16:29 GMT
References: <4550@homxc.UUCP> <4847@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <542@mccc.UUCP> <560@mccc.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
Lines: 33



Regarding multiple choice exams, it is possible to give them so that
they access a student's knowledge to some extent (although still 
probably not as well as with an essay or fill-in-the-blank format).

One semester I found myself supervising the administration of all the
exams to some 900 introduction to programming students in a large
state university.  Multiple choice, computer graded exams were the
only practical answer to such a large number of exams.  

One piece of advice I would give to anyone making up multiple 
choice exams is to check out the article "How to Pass A Multiple
Choice Test When You Don't Know the Answers" by William I.
Orr, which appeard in the April, 1975 issue of CQ magazine
(a ham radio magazine - germane since the FCC uses multiple choice
 exams for radio licenses).  This is a humerous, but serious piece
on exploiting flaws in multiiple choice exam formats.  If you as
an instructor make your MC exams so that these suggestions DON'T
work, then you have a much more comprehensive exam.

Example:  "The fourth rule is: Alternatives which include
the words "all", "always", "none", or "never" tend to be wrong.
The corollary of this rule is: Alternatives which include the 
words "most", or "some" tend to be correct."

If I can get permission from the author, and I can get our ocr
software to read it, I will post the rest of the article here 
if there is any interest.

 
 -Bob Wier at Flagstaff, Arizona         Northern Arizona University
  ...arizona!naucse!rrw |  BITNET: WIER@NAUVAX | *usual disclaimers*