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WebCT Quizzes and the Multiple-Choice Question
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The most
frequently used test question format in WebCT is the Multiple-choice
question (MCQ) and it is therefore beneficial to review some best practices
for test item construction. |
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Multiple-Choice Question Terminology
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Stem
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The stem
is the introductory question or incomplete statement at the beginning
of each test item. |
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Options |
The options consist of the answer.
This includes the correct option and the distractors.
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Well-constructed stems:
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include
one point per item |
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include
simple wording that is clear and parsimonious |
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take the
form of an incomplete statement or a direct question |
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avoid introductory
statements that do not affect the meaning of the problem |
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avoid using
irrelevant material to make the answer appear less obvious as this can
turn the question into a reading comprehension exercise rather than
a test of knowledge |
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include
as much information as possible in the stem and as little information
as possible in the options |
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should not
end with an indefinite article ('an') that gives away the answer; it
can sometimes be difficult to construct options whose content and grammatical
structure are in agreement with the stem |
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should not
include negatives. Negatives in the stem usually require that the answer
be a false statement. Because students are likely in the habit of searching
for true statements, this may introduce unwanted bias |
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Well-constructed options:
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are short |
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include
distractors that are of the same complexity and grammatical construction
as the correct option |
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include
correct options that are the same length as the distractors |
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vary
the location of the correct option and do not form an obvious pattern |
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do not
include irrelevant clues in the correct option |
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do not include
"definite" terms such as "always," "never,"
and "all" where students are instructed to choose "the
best answer" because this implies that the options vary in degree
of correctness |
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should
not include both "definites" and "indefinites" as
the latter are more likely to be correct |
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should not
include options such as "All of the Above", "None of
the Above" except where all options include a discrete response
component |
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should
not include language that is replicated, or similar to, language used
in the stem |
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should
not include negative options when the stem also contains a negative |
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Well-constructed Multiple-choice Questions:
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avoid using colloquialisms
or other figures of speech that may not be well-understood by second
language students |
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