Niggily bits

Topic: Assignment 2 discussion and queries Date: 19 January 2007 6:18 PM
Subject: Niggily bits Author: Mondy, Steven

I am really getting into the test creation process and reshaping and reformatting of the test. I'm never satisfied...
I wonder if anyone else is really frustrated with Microsoft word, especially with making multiple choice items ~ it insists on capital letters after the a. b. c. and d.
I was also dealing with a minor issue of using 'not' in a multiple choice item, but decided to redo it on advice from the Hughes book. I was ale to rephrase it so that it wouldn't have the potential of disadvantaging my students.
Actually, it has been quite interesting formulating questions. It's so easy to introduce little things that quickly invalidate an item. In one task, I was going to label an item "Vocabulary:Synonyms" and then ask the students to look for the word that is not a Synonym. I quickly realized that by labeling it "Synonyms" I introduce into the students conscious (or unconscious minds) the expectation to look for synonyms. This in turn may cause a student to make a mistake with what is expected of them, and make the item invalid. I decided to cut the heading, and now it states Section A: Vocabulary.
It's all so easy to introduce unforeseen elements into the test.
Steven Mondy