Teaching with Technology Part I: General Things

Teaching with Technology is an exciting part of our field. It is a tool for learning to be used to enhance the productivity of both professor and student.

This is the first of several posts on the topic where I will discuss management technologies (like Blackboard –Bb or Web CT), authoring technology, and presentation technologies.

When I began teaching, it was the chalkboard (with chalk) and live demonstrations. Things have evolved to using excellent video libraries of chemical reactions, document cameras, and fewer live demonstrations, mainly due to safety concerns.

My experience is with Blackbaord (Bb) where we use it for distributing handouts, grade management, and preparatory quizzes. The preparatory quizzes (Prep Quizzes) are a method for students to prepare for class. Before each class they are to complete a short quiz (5-8 questions) on-line covering material for the upcoming class. The logic is that a prepared student will be receptive to understand more deeply during the class.

After much discussion, for our combined sections, we decided that a student should be able to complete the Prep Quiz at the 75% level for maximum credit. The quiz would be from reading material in the text. We use the scores as a bonus for some course, but the are required for other courses. In our labs, the preparatory quiz is required for all students and it counts in its entirety.

We now have libraries of appropriate questions written for five courses. In a coordinated course, the professors share the libraries and write a few questions on their own. We usually post the Prep Quizzes a week at a time. They are due two hours before the class begins. The professor can then access the statistics for the prep quiz. It is extremely useful to know the percentage of students who can (or cannot) handle a concept. Then during the class, the professor can emphasize the troublesome point. Having used this system for over five years, I believe it is a good addition to our program and helps us achieve our goal. Writing the questions initially was very time-consuming but now that we have a decent data base, writing just a few new questions for each year is manageable. I endorse the concept. Yes, there are some details that could be improved! Write me if you want to know more.

Bb has some quirks that require adjustment overall. However, it is the system we have and will continue to use.

The students particularly like having their materials available easily and, accessing their grades on-line. I'll address further aspects of this in future posts.

Exams Part VI; Returning Exams

Exams Part VI: Returning Exams

TTY: Tom Bowers

Emotions are a bit high on the day we return exams. We usually return them at the end of the class because otherwise, the students cannot focus on the class at hand. However, we do allow time for the process. The papers are alphabetized so the students can pick theirs up and leave the room.

Prior to picking up their paper, we post the statistics for combined sections including average, median, standard deviation, high-low score. We post the answers on Blackboard.

In the event of a grading error or need for further discussion, we ask the students to WRITE their concern and return the paper to the professor within one week. There are several reasons for this procedure. Some students are too timid or nervous to verbally make their case. It is much less threatening to write out a concern. Similarly, with written comments, I do not make any changes with the student present. I consider any challenges based only on their written comments. Some, of course, are obvious (points added wrong, clear error) but others require consistency to all students.

The professor needs to understand the wide variety of emotions for the students on this day. Some are delighted, others deeply disappointed. Being direct with clear explanation of the results without comments is how I handle this tough day.




http://weblogs.jomc.unc.edu:16080/tbowers/

Exams V: Grading Sessions

TTY: About 20 TAs a year for almost 20 years.... approximate 400!! THANKS, we couldn't do it without you!

Grading exams is difficult, no matter how you look at it. Many schools use machine-graded assessments for this very reason. We have resisted because we want to give a variety of question types and offer partial credit for calculations and discussion questions. We do try to design exams with the grading in mind.

I am eager to hear how others handle grading of 100-500 papers within a 3 hour session. I’ll describe the system we have devised over the past 15 years.

Our exams are administered from 5-6 PM and grading begins immediately after the exam is finished. We have a room with tables and we order pizza for delivery about 15 minutes after the session begins. Food does help the process!

The professors have written the key in advance and agreed on partial credit. Each professor is in charge of one page and works alongside the TAs to grade just that page. Each TA grades one question consistently. The first 30 minutes of the session is critical as the TAs need to make sure they understand the problem and various acceptable responses. Once we get rolling, the TA consults with the professor in charge of the page as needed.

When possible, we try to grade some exams prior to the large grading sessions. These are from students who had a conflict and took the exam at an alternate time. We can then see the common errors and address the grading protocol based on real answers.

We total each page and then the exam, writing the score on Page 2 as described in a previous post. Then we sort and alphabetize the papers for each professor to record.

In general the process works but there are some issues. Some graders lose focus and do not show the consistency we want. In the Fall, when many of the TAs are new graduate students, we are not aware of their strengths and weaknesses. As time goes on, we learn how to assign tasks for efficient and effective evaluation.

Normally we can finish a session in three hours, but there have been times it lasts much longer than that. What can I say? The task isn’t finished until all papers are graded, sorted, and ready to record.

Exams IV: Administration

Again, I’m sure that there are many ways to organize exam administration for large groups. I’ll share the way we administer and grade 100-500 exams in about 3-4 hours. This style is what we have worked out over quite a few years.

We reserve large rooms for 90 minutes (5:00 to 6:30 PM) for the days of exams. We request enough seating so that students can sit in alternate chairs. We do give two versions of the exam as well. This takes care of inadvertent cheating. In order for students to do their best, a good testing atmosphere is essential. Space between students minimizes distractions during the exam.

As the students enter the room, they must sit in alternate chairs directly behind another student. The TAs direct students for the first exam. For other exams, the students know the system and sit as we want.

We reserve a small section in the room (I call it the First Base Line, baseball fans will know what I mean) for latecomers or others that have special testing needs…like a class that meets at 6:30. See below for students with disabilities.

To begin the exam, we pass out the pre-counted papers. We always have a cover sheet that contains reference material such as the Periodic Table and certain equations. We ask for students to count the pages in their exam and TAs check for defective copies. When we are ready, we say “Tear off the first page and begin.” At the same time we write the exact time on an overhead where everyone can see. We also write the time that papers will be collected: Example: Start: 5:12 Stop: 6:12.

We project clocks during the exam, but only give an oral time check once, usually with 5 minutes left. When the exam is finished, we stop everyone and collect the papers. We do use an ID check as they turn in their papers.

Students with disabilities do not attend the combined section exams. They go to a special place (Office of Institutional Equity) where their needs can be met. In our experience, it is best for all concerned to have these students tested at the center. We just cannot fairly give extra time to anyone.

Next post will address grading sessions with 4 professors and 12 graduate students!

As usual, I’m interested in the way others handle these types of exam situations.

Where does September go?

No, I have not lost interest in blogging. In fact, in reading another blogger who has so much to offer, I’m more motivated in using this format as I learn about it. Others can provide a fresh perspective.

But, September is just crazy on the college scene. I’m sure everyone else experiences the same thing. No matter how prepared you are, there are new students (I teach mostly freshmen) who just don’t quite understand what is expected of them as well as a large variety of Fall Issues that do not happen later in the year. So we all take a deep breath and hope to survive September. But really, we have to do more than merely survive, we have to get off to a productive start. Advice from various bloggers can help, but for a new faculty member, September is a unique month to be sure.

Next week I have the first round of combined-section exams in two large enrollment courses. Then we’ll be doing combined-sections grading. My next blog will deal with grading in a group setting, with new TAs. Exams Part III is on deck!

So thanks for stopping by my blog, and YES, I’ll be writing more soon. If you have any comments regarding first of the term issues, do make a comment.

Exams Part II: A Consistent Format

A standard consistent exam format is essential for good assessment. The look of the exam is familiar for the students. The format aids in the grading process. I’m sure there are many good formats for hand-graded exams. I’ll describe what we use in large classes taught by several professors.

1. Page 1 heading must include everything you really need to know to identify the student. In our case, Name (for the final exam, printed AND signed), PID (university identification or just the last four digits). We also include a section where the student circles information so we can sort the papers efficiently. Circle your section: Professor and time, Circle the alphabet segment of your last name: A-C, D-G, etc. Since we need to separate and alphabetize up to 400 papers at times, we need a good organizational tool. This serves the purpose and takes no time on the part of the student. It is essential in our format.

2. Page 2 heading contains a box for the student’s exam score. Recently our university established a rule that a student’s grade on any work must be separated from his/her name. We had to adjust to the style, but it is a good rule and students are able to pick up their graded exams without any indication of the score and look at their score in privacy if they desire.

3. The questions on each page are graded with positive points in the margin and a sum at the bottom of each page. With the TAs grading individual pages (see more below) we then sum the points and write the total score in the box on page 2.

4. Normally we have four major parts to the exam with the point values clearly stated in parentheses in the left margins. We do give partial credit and we firm up the partial credit after we’ve done some preliminary grading (see a later post). For example, a concept that we thought ought to be worth 4 points wasn’t clear to most students, so we might change it to 2 points. I’ll address this more in the preliminary grading procedure of another post.

5. The answers must be easy to find. We use answer boxes , “Circle your response and explain” or fill in the table with a sample answer at the top. Good design leads to a better assessment.

6. Each page must be numbered and “The End” appears at the bottom of the last page. I know a professor who also includes “more →” at the bottom of each page except the last page. Under exam conditions, students often lose track of time, so they know they work until they reach “The End.”! When we administer exams, we ALWAYS have the students count their pages because sometimes errors in duplication occur and we need to be 100% sure that everyone has the full exam. We’ve had students contend that they had a defective exam (the hardest page was missing!) and want a grade adjustment. Note that you can actually examine the staple and see if a page was ripped out. Old tricks, why do students do these things?

With a consistent format, students can identify the easy and hard parts of the exam and pace themselves appropriately. Next post will focus on group grading with TAs.

As usual, I’m interested in ideas you have regarding exam format. Feel free to respond.

Exams Part I, Construction

TTY: Tom Bowers

Exams count. Both student and professor must consider them seriously, prepare thoroughly and deliver! The assessment must be fair, appropriate, designed for various types of learning styles, and lend itself to efficient and consistent grading. This isn’t easy for anyone.

Another Blogger has a well-organized set of comments on writing exams (see his list at on the right side of his template.) I’ll use his major headings and make comments in the same four areas in the next few blogs. (Construction, Student Preparation, Format, Returning Exams)

Most of my experience is with coordinated sections involving 2-4 professors evaluating 100-400 students on the freshman level. We do not give scantron exams for reasons I’ll discuss in another blog. Occasionally I teach a class by myself, but I use the techniques we’ve developed in the past 15 years for the combined section courses.

We have a standard set of principles to be assessed since our courses are prerequisites for future classes. We keep a uniform format with 4-5 parts in an exam with different types of questions such as : Discussion/Interpretation, Skill Assessment (like writing formulas/equations, classifying something), Problem Solving (show your work), and Multiple Choice (things that don’t fit into the other categories). With a consistent format, the students soon learn how to allow their time appropriately during the exam.

When several professors are involved in writing an exam, the quality of the exam increases. Colleagues can discern how the wording might be misinterpreted or lead to an unintended response. I cannot overemphasize the importance of having someone else read an exam draft. It always improves the quality.

There are some excellent references regarding exam writing, tips for good exams, and other worthwhile literature on-line that I highly recommend.

1. Lucy Jacobs, Indiana Unversity

2. Frank Logan, University of New Mexico

In my opinion, most but not all of the exam should be what a student can anticipate, such as questions similar in style and content to those done in class. However, at least one question (5-8%) should give students the chance to link concepts together, perhaps in a new way, and demonstrate a deeper understanding of the material. By providing a new experience based directly on the material, the student learns to accept a challenge and respond.

I realize that students prefer knowing in advance exactly what will be on the exam, but I disagree. A professor should be able to write a comprehensive question requiring an intellectual stretch directly related to the material. In the sciences, we often ask the student to interpret an unexpected lab result, make a prediction based on data, or interpret an unusual graph or figure. In time, students do learn to accept the challenge. They know it is coming, so during the exam they are not surprised (well, not totally!) The rewards in terms of a sense of accomplishment and growth in academic maturity are tremendous for student and professor alike. Those students who merely “memorize everything” are easily identified.

Let me reiterate, the stretching question is a small percentage of the total exam (5-8%). Most of the exam should be directly related to the classroom material in style and content but not ver batim.

Some readers may disagree (perhaps strongly) with me. I welcome your comment either way!