ELC 039: How To Plan, Design and Write Tests

How much do you think about writing test items? Do you have a strategy or do you throw together a test at the end? Don't miss out on the valuable data you can derive from a well-designed test. In this episode, you'll find guidance and advice from professor and psychometrician, Michael Rodriguez, PhD. He is also the co-author of Developing and Validating Test Items.



Michael is the Campbell Leadership Chair in Education and Human Development and associate professor in the University of Minnesota Department of Educational Psychology. He teaches courses in educational measurement and assessment. His research is on understanding the psychometric properties of tests, and developing ways to maximize test accessibility to diverse test takers, including those with cognitive impairments or limited English proficiency.



WHAT WE DISCUSS:



* Definition of psychometrics

* When it's best to write test items in the instructional design process

* The role of validity in test development

* Important guidelines for making sure that test items contribute to validity

* Things to avoid when writing test items

* A new type of test format: Multiple True/False

* Whether true/talse questions provide a good measure of student learning

* Some ways to write effective true/false questions

* How to plan for test design

* Whether Bloom's Taxonomy is based on research

* Ways to test higher-order thinking

* How to choose an item format

* Common errors that novice test developers make

* Benefits of instructional design

* The focus of new academic research on assessment



TIME: 45 minutes



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TRANSCRIPT: Download the [Download not found].



RESOURCES:



* More about Dr. Rodriguez

* Developing and Validating Test Items: Textbook written by Thomas Haladyna and Michael Rodriguez









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