Excellence Everywhere - National University of Ireland, Galway

Here are some ways you can help them learnwithout delivering the material yourself:n Encourage the group to recognize and formulateproblems by asking students to brainstorm andmake a list of possible causes of the problembeing discussed.n Give group members opportunities to demonstratetheir outside reading by asking them to describe newinformation they might consider from other sources.n Ensure that all group members have a chanceto contribute by preventing the “talkers” fromanswering too quickly, while encouraging quieterstudents to participate.n Encourage the groups to critically evaluate ideasby asking probing questions and suggesting otheravenues to explore.n Provide timely, constructive feedback to help thegroups analyze what went well and what wentastray in their discussions, and to make sure thatat the end the groups have not come to illogical orincorrect conclusions.n Model respectful and professional behavior byshowing respect and support to all students whilemaking the rules of small-group discussion very clear.(Adapted from Guide to Small Group CBL Exercises, BMS6204: MedicalBiochemistry and Genetics, Florida State University College of Medicine.)DevelopingExamination QuestionsRemember that writing exam questions takestime; do not try to “throw it together” at the lastminute. Before you start, make sure you ask ifyour institution has any established formats towhich your exam questions must conform. If youhave students or other trainees helping you teachthe class, involve them in writing the exam orin reviewing a draft of it to make sure that yourinstructions are clear and that the test can becompleted in the time allowed.Your school will have its own customs and requirementsfor testing students’ knowledge. In someplaces oral exams are common; in others writtenones are used nearly exclusively. Regardless ofthe type of exam, you should use a variety ofquestions to evaluate what the students havelearned.True/False Questions. These questions lendthemselves to written exams. They present astatement and ask the student to decide whetherthe statement is true or false. While the testsare among the easiest to write and score, theyare limited in the kinds of student mastery theyassess and have a relatively high probability ofstudents guessing the right answer. “True ormake true” questions, which ask the student torecognize and correct false statements, can alsobe useful.Short Answer Questions. These are “constructedresponse” or open-ended questions that askstudents to create a short answer (one sentenceor several sentences). In a written exam, studentsfill in a blank or complete a sentence. Althoughthe questions are relatively easy to write, theyare harder to score because students are free toanswer the question in any way they choose.Multiple Choice Questions. These questions areused primarily in written exams. These present aquestion and ask students to choose from a listof answers. Questions can be simple statementsor complex cases or scenarios that require carefulconsideration on the part of students. The questionscan be more challenging to answer (if theyrequire both one correct answer and several falseanswers that distract the student by being nearlytrue or by playing on a common misunderstandingof the concept), but are easy to score.Essay Questions. These questions can beused both in written and oral exams. They allowstudents to focus on broad issues, generalconcepts, and interrelationships, rather than onspecific facts or details. The advantage is that thetests allow you to see the quality and depth ofeach student’s thinking. However, they can bedifficult and very time-consuming to score,because the answers vary in length and variety,and you might tend to give students a bettergrade if they have strong writing skills.114 excellence everywhere