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Classroom Assessment Techniques
Conceptual Diagnostic Tests
(Screen 1 of 6)
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Michael Zeilik
Department of Physics & Astronomy
University of New Mexico
"...For years I had thought that the real measure of the effectiveness of a course was the gains of the students, from their "initial condition" at entry to their "final state" at the end...Candace Schau...convinced me that we needed a "misconceptions measure" for a pre- and post-test...We labored on the Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT) for four semesters...I did not realize until a year after the final effort that we were developing the astronomical version of something like the Force Concept Inventory...
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WHY USE THE CONCEPTUAL DIAGNOSTIC TESTS?
To assess how well students understand key concepts in a STEM field prior to, during, and after instruction.
WHAT IS THE CONCEPTUAL DIAGNOSTIC TESTS?
A test with items in a multiple-choice or short-answer format that has been designed with common misconceptions in mind.
WHAT IS INVOLVED?
| Instructor Preparation Time: |
Minimal for using available tests; moderate for designing your own questions.
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| Preparing Your Students: |
Nothing special.
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| Class Time: |
At least 30 minutes for a complete test.
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| Disciplines: |
Appropriate for all.
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| Class Size: |
Small and large.
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| Special Classroom/Technical Requirements: |
Machine scoring of scannable forms.
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| Individual or Group Involvement: |
Either.
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| Analyzing Results: |
Can be machine scored for large classes; diagnostic tests are generally not graded.
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| Other Things to Consider: |
Need to match tests to course goals.
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Tell me more about this technique:
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