Self-Study Course

Task List 8: Assessment

Lat time we discussed motivation and class participation. This time we end the course with testing and challenging students.

Homework Assignments

There are several kinds of homework problems that you can assign:

1. Exercises to develop and enhance skill in a particular skill.
2. Problems to extend topics in reading or in lessons.
3. Problems to develop areas not covered.
4. Projects, sequences of related problems, that allow the student to perform in the same way that a scientist does. These can include laboaratory and observational work.

You will need to experiment with how many or what types of problems to assign.

Quick Quizzes

These are collections of short problems or lab demonstrations that must be performed by the student.

These should be done ocasionally throughout the course.

These can be used to assess student skills and understanding while still studying a particular topic. They indicate where problems in technique or misconceptions are.

This gives you the opportunity to tailor your lessons while they are being used.

Major Tests

These should be done only 1-3 times in an entire course.

They can be timed written tests, timed oral tests, or take-home exams.

Timed written tests produce a good deal of anxiety, but they can be useful for a well prepared student with the skills for this kind of test.

Timed oral exams can be thought of as requiring a short impromptu lecture on the part fo the student.

Takehome exams are the most difficult, but often the most useful in assessing the kinds of skills that a scientist requires.

They assess student retention of techniques and ideas.

They assess problem-solving ability within the context of the course.

They assess the ability of the student to perform in a realistic way.

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