>===== Original Message From "Molly Straight" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ===== >I am in my first year of teaching at a small private college. I only have 3 students in my class! I just gave an exam on 2 chapters and had a D and 2 F's. And this was a computer-generated exam from the test bank that came with the text! I had even given them a study guide, which I >wrote after I had made up the exam! > (big snip) Molly & other TIPsters: Let me start by saying I agree with the comments which have been posted as responses to Molly's experience. However (there's always a however, isn't there?), I think another issue to address is the test bank itself. I've only been teaching a few years but one thing I've discovered is that not all test banks are created equal. I've seen some test banks that were wonderful: questions that are asked in a clear and concise way, response choices that are appropriate and not too challenging, etc. I've also seen some real bombs. Molly, as you talk to students you may find that the wording of the question actually impaired their performance and, instead of relying on the test bank for questions, you may have to write the majority of the questions yourself. I don't know about other TIPsters, but when I sit down to write an exam for Gen Psych I start with about 6 different test banks. And even with 6 test banks I wind up editing or rewriting a good 15-20% of the questions. With my advanced classes (e.g., Learning or Cognition) I find I write more questions than I use from the test bank. Just one person's opinion. . . Kirsten Kirsten L. Rewey Department of Psychology St. Mary's University of Minnesota 700 Terrace Heights, Box 1464 Winona, Minnesota 55987 (507) 457-6991
