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This article explores Selected-Response Assessments—what they are, why to use them, and how to use them. It also provides best practices and examples. |
Exploring Selected-Response Assessments
What Are They
Traditional forms of assessment include tests with selected-response questions such as multiple-choice, true-false, short answer, ordering, matching, and fill-in-the-blank.
Why Use Them
Selected-response tests are probably best used when you want to measure whether students have met objectives from the lowest levels of cognitive skills from Bloom’s taxonomy - remembering and understanding. You can also build questions that call for applying, analyzing, and evaluating, but keep in mind that students may not actually be demonstrating true learning; they might just guess their way through an exam.
Our learning management system, Canvas, automatically grades selected-response questions, so your main investment of time is in creating the test.
Best Ways to Use Them
We recommend using selected-response tests for low-stakes assessment, simply to check for understanding, as we do with the exercises in each module of the seminar. Selected-response tests are also appropriate if your course objectives (the ones that grew out of your hopes and dreams for the students’ learning) center on recall and comprehension, such as in a medical terminology course.
Examples of Selected Response Assessments
Sample Test Directions
This exam is worth 100 points.
The focus is Chapters 3 and 4 of the Bennett text. You will be able to use your textbook, but do not rely on the idea that you will be able to find all the answers while you take the test!
You must work alone.
The exam will open on Wednesday, February 13, at 7:00 a.m. Mountain Time and will close on Friday, February 15, at 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time. The exam will be timed, so you will have 50 minutes from the time you open the exam. This means that you must start the exam no later than 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Friday. You will have one attempt.
The exam includes 20 multiple choice questions, 20 true-false questions, 5 matching, and 5 ordering questions. Each is worth 2 points. The questions will appear one at a time, and you will not be able to backtrack to previous questions.
I suggest that you visit How do I take a quiz? on the Canvas Student Guide before you begin the test. If you need technical assistance during the exam, contact the Boise State help desk at helpdesk@boisestate.edu or 208-426-4357.
Chapter Quiz Activity Directions
Chapter 1 Quiz
Time: 3-5 minutes
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Use this link to log in to Connect
Click Assignments.
Select the assigned Quiz.
Complete all questions and submit.
Designing a Selected Response Assessment
Planning Selected-Response Assessments
Similar to creating a course design map that outlines the alignment between and among your objectives, assessments, and activities, you can create a Test Design Blueprint to help you ensure that the test matches the learning objectives as closely as possible. A Test Design Blueprint (or TDB) is a table that relates each test item to the corresponding cognitive level of each learning objective. In other words, the verbs used in the learning objectives match to the types of verbs used in Bloom's Taxonomy. Richlin (2006, p.95) provides the following recap of the type of verbs used at each level of Bloom's original taxonomy:
Remember - ask students to recognize, identify, recall, list or retrieve
Understand - ask students to illustrate, distinguish, categorize, compare, or map
Apply - ask students to solve a problem, such as calculate a mathematical problem or apply a concept to a particular case
Analyze - ask students questions that require to distinguish between items, select appropriate evidence, or integrate elements
Evaluate - ask students questions that require critique based on criteria, and to judge using particular methods
Create - ask students to compose, design, or construct
Designing Selected-Response Assessments
PLEASE CHOOSE: Visit one or more of these resources for tips on writing selected-response tests:
Creating Better Multiple-Choice Tests for Online Courses
An article by Patti Shank, offering some good points to consider when creating selected-response tests
A thorough resource created by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Center for Teaching Excellence
Writing Selected Response Assessments
A site developed at the University of South Florida
A practice activity comparing good/poor multiple-choice questions
References
Florida Center for Instructional Technology. (n.d.) Writing selected response assessment items.
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University of Texas. (2011). Activity: Good/Poor multiple-choice questions.
Using a Test Blueprint to Design a Test
Here we present two steps for creating a selected-response assessment using Bloom’s taxonomy:
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Richlin (2006, p.95-97) created a test design blueprint about WWII and we revised as follows. This blueprint covers a variety of themes within the course topic and clues potential assessment types and questioning options.
Test Design Blueprint
Cognitive Ability | Remember | Understand | Apply | Analyze | Evaluate | Create |
Percentage of Questions | 5% | 15% | 15% | 20% | 25% | 20% |
Important dates/ events/ names/ wars | X |
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The causes of WWII | X |
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The impact of WWII in the U.S. Politics |
| X | X |
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The political, social, and economic results after the U.S. entering WWII |
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| X |
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Critically evaluating the role of the U.S. in WWII |
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The possibility to avoid the next world war |
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| X |
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Based on the test design blueprint above, we present two examples of selected-response questions.
Sample Question for Remember Level of Bloom's Taxonomy
Q1: During what years did the United States join WWII?
1938 - 1944
1941 - 1945
1940 - 1949
1939 - 1942
Answer key: 2
Sample Question for Understand Level of Bloom's Taxonomy
Q2: Which of the following were the causes of WWII? Check all that apply.
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