Multiple Choice Exams: An Alternative Structure

Unfortunately, various analyses of multiple-choice test questions have revealed that many of them do not test higher-order thinking abilities. Questions that test higher-order thinking abilities are difficult and time-consuming to write. But for many teachers, those teaching multiple courses and those teaching large sections, multiple-choice tests are really the only viable option, or at least that's what most faculty think. Here's an intriguing option that still retains the efficiency of machine-scoring but does involve more student thinking and cleverly motivates them to do this additional mental work.

To continue reading, you must be a Teaching Professor Subscriber. Please log in or sign up for full access.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

I have two loves: teaching and learning. Although I love them for different reasons, I’ve been passionate about...

Writers often evoke movies to describe the threats posed by artificial intelligence. Although AI has been around in...

In Rasselas, Samuel Johnson’s philosopher Imlac offers the following bleak assessment of life: “Human life is every where...

Most instructors breathe an inner sigh when they see a roomful of students on laptops in their classroom....
In a 2023 article published in The Hill, Sarah Eaton, an associate professor of education at the University...
Educators play a pivotal role in shaping students’ academic journeys, and their impact in the classroom extends far...

Are you signed up for free weekly Teaching Professor updates?

You'll get notified of the newest articles.

The Teaching Professor Conference 2024

June 7-9, 2024 • New Orleans

Connect with Fellow Educators at The Teaching Professor Conference!