Getting Started - Course Instruction

Student Assessment

Assessment of students is an important part of the learning process. For most faculty members, student testing is probably conducted in class with assessment instruments developed by the instructor. However, since some academic discipline areas may use standardized tests, it is important to clarify this information with the relevant supervisor. Florida Community College also provides testing services from its campus-based assessment centers.

Classroom Testing Tips

• Test Development: When first teaching a course, it will probably be helpful to obtain a copy of an exam previously used in the course. This will give you an idea of the types of questions used and their relative level of difficulty. Test questions should reflect varied levels of difficulty, but until an exam is initially administered, it may be difficult to judge the reasonableness and overall level of difficulty. Don’t be reluctant to discuss this matter with veteran faculty.
• Question Construction: Multiple choice questions should have 4-5 answers from which to choose, with such answer options being brief. For example, a question asking students to "Identify the first and primary function of management" would have possible answers of: a.planning, b.organising, c.leading, and d.controlling. Essay questions should promote critical thinking by asking students to show understanding of a concept with application. For example, "Identify, explain, and provide a specific example of the characteristics of ..."
• Testing Policy: Clearly state the testing policy in the course syllabus, including the role tests will play in determining the final course grade. For example, a syllabus might state: 3 exams at 20% each and 1 final exam at 25% of the final grade.
• Initial Communication: While reviewing the course syllabus during the first class meeting, the instructor should communicate the types and nature of course exams, such as multiple-choice, true-false, short-answer, and essay, as well as the likely number of questions and time limits.
• Test Administration: Students should be monitored during exams to

  In any case feedback should be provided no later than the class meeting following the test administration.

  lessen the likelihood of cheating. For class periods of several hours in length, the instructor should not dismiss the class too early just because the exam has been completed.
• Timely Feedback: Provide students with feedback on test results as soon as possible. Some instructors grade exams and provide feedback at the meeting in which the test is administered, while others may want to take more time for grading and evaluating the results. In any case, feedback should be provided no later than the class meeting following the test administration.
• Communicating Test Grades: Since it is helpful for students to see how their test scores fit in the context of the overall class scores, instructors will frequently show the overall class average. Also, it is informative to show the distribution of grades and number of students earning those grades, such as A=5, B=7, C=8, D=4, and F=5. In honoring student privacy rights do not inform the whole class of any individual student’s grades without the student’s permission.
• Reviewing Test Questions: There are a variety of approaches for reviewing a test after grades have been calculated and communicated. Going over every single question may prove to be a boring and meaningless use of class time. Another approach is to identify on the test the textbook page number from which each question originated, and allow students to individually look up the questions missed. Then, if a student requests further explanation, the instructor can either field questions from the class or invite students to discuss the matter after class.

Assessment Center Services

The College has an assessment and certification center on each of its four major campuses that provides a variety of services. Center staff can help instructors by administering make-up exams if students have missed regularly scheduled classroom exams. Also, the centers coordinate and administer a wide variety of standardized tests including, but not limited to, the following: ACT, Certifications, CLAST, CLEP, Dual Enrollment, GED, Information Literacy, NAT, SAT and TABE.

Information about the Assessment and Certification Center services can be found at the following link: Florida Community College assessment and certification page. Also, specific information about each center’s contact information and operating hours is available at the assessment and certification center schedule.