Why do profs give exams like this?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the fairness and effectiveness of multiple-choice exams, particularly those that require selecting multiple correct answers. Participants express concerns about the all-or-nothing grading approach and its implications for student performance.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants argue that the all-or-nothing grading for questions with multiple correct answers is unfair, as it increases the likelihood of failing due to minor mistakes.
  • Others propose alternative grading schemes, such as awarding points for each correct answer while deducting points for incorrect ones, but express concerns about the potential for negative scores.
  • A few participants mention that random guessing can lead to a certain number of correct answers, which complicates the grading fairness.
  • Some suggest that the grading scheme should reflect a student's understanding of relevant information, not just the ability to select correct answers.
  • There are mentions of the need for normalization or adjustments in grading to account for skewed distributions resulting from the current schemes.
  • Participants highlight that poorly constructed multiple-choice questions can lead to confusion and misrepresentation of a student's knowledge.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the fairness of current multiple-choice exam formats, with multiple competing views on grading schemes and their implications for accurately reflecting student performance. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach to grading such exams.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that the effectiveness of a grading scheme may depend on the specific context of the exam and the clarity of the questions posed. There is also mention of potential biases introduced by the grading methods.

  • #31
mathwonk said:
<snip>
You are right that a teacher should consider what it is he/she is actually measuring with his questions/scoring. <snip>

I could not agree more; I would only add that the teacher should *clearly* communicate their metric/rubric to the students.

There are lots of things that can be measured with any test: factual knowledge, reasoning ability, creativity, communication skills and the ability to deal with a stressful situation are a few. By selecting a particular format, the instructor also chooses to focus on one or a few of these.
 
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  • #32
Hurkyl said:
And yes, you really do want to penalize guessing. Admitting you don't know how to do a problem is a much, much better response than making a blind guess.

I strongly disagree with this. If a student is able to eliminate choices, that demonstrates some knowledge of the subject, and should have a positive expected value.
 

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