Questions tagged [assessment]
Assessment questions ask how to properly, effectively, and efficiently ascertain the abilities of students. This doesn't necessarily involve numerical grades, but rather is focused on an overall characterization of knowledge/ability.
62
questions
11
votes
2answers
286 views
Weekly quizzes as an alternative for midterms? What is this called?
I have seen (by some of my former instructors) the following strategy applied as an alternative to traditional "midterms and final" assessment in a math course:
Students take a quiz weekly. ...
4
votes
0answers
92 views
Create a mathematical problem with randomized parameters
Recently I am using Moodle to create problems with randomized parameters. In Moodle, there is so-called Calculated questions that let me do this in a straightforward way. For example, I can simply ...
7
votes
4answers
350 views
Do you know of any third-party math-friendly testing software?
At a previous institution, we used moodle for our learning management system, which has a fairly useful tool for creating quizzes that make it more difficult for the student to cheat. In particular, ...
5
votes
4answers
181 views
Online Definition/Theorem Statement Quizzes
This fall I'll be teaching a standard "Introduction to Proofs" course and administration is advising us to be ready at any time to switch from in-person to fully online (or anything in ...
10
votes
1answer
368 views
How, now, shall we teach math online?
Now that everyone has had the experience of teaching math in an online/remote/synchronous/asynchronous format, and looking forward to more of this in the Summer and Fall terms, how do we change our ...
0
votes
0answers
73 views
Better instruction for an identity equation worksheet
I would like to construct a good worksheet for my students.
I am thinking of creating an instruction that will cover all problems related to identity equations.
Here is how I initially constructed ...
11
votes
1answer
261 views
What are some resources for “ungrading” in a math class?
Most of the stuff I'm finding online about ungrading are either general descriptions of its virtues, or personal accounts from instructors from subjects other than math. Does anyone know any resources ...
20
votes
1answer
540 views
How do I track down the sources of solutions which students have used to cheat on exams?
I recently taught an introduction to real analysis. I assigned a (covid-induced) take-home final, which included the question:
Define the set S by
$$
\bigcup_{n=1}^\infty \left\{
\frac{a}{2^n}\...
19
votes
5answers
345 views
Is required reading of the text effective, and how can it be assessed?
This will likely depend on the class, of course. But I've asked calculus students in the past if (a) they regularly read the textbook and (b) whether this is helpful for them and (c) whether they like ...
4
votes
0answers
126 views
How must the “ungrading” idea be adapted to work in a math class?
After seeing no direct responses to this question, I'll instead be more direct myself. Ungrading is a buzzword being tossed about for assessing students' progress without focusing on quantitative ...
7
votes
6answers
918 views
Efficient methods to receive and grade online mathematics assessments?
I am UK-based but I guess this issue currently affects all maths educators and has probably been addressed by those how have been delivering courses through online channels for the past few years.
...
4
votes
2answers
147 views
For an online assignment application, should different versions of the same assignment be allowed to have different numbers of questions?
For an online assignment application where you can configure different versions of a single assignment/test to have different questions, should it be possible to also have the different versions have ...
10
votes
7answers
2k views
Do you have an efficient way to view student responses to remote assignments allowing them to type math symbols and steps? (Middle + High school)
Asking for a friend, this seems generally useful given #distanceLearning right now. Below is her message in a quote block followed by my response.
I am using Google Classroom, G-sheets, G-Docs, G-...
38
votes
4answers
2k views
Teaching undergraduates who expect a high-school-like learning environment
tl;dr: Some students expect to be told "what's on the test", to memorize and then move on. What can be done to change how they learn while teaching them what to learn?
Context: Introductory, ...
11
votes
4answers
379 views
Placing incoming college freshmen: basic algebra, pre-calc, calc
Assume that you have incoming college freshmen, so you might have access to their high school courses and grades, as well as their results on a placement test offered by your college. Also, assume ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
Asking students to define “unique”
Context: This is for introductory linear algebra course, near the beginning.
As a sort of "exit survey" after one of my lectures, I would like to ask my students to try and define what "unique" is ...
10
votes
2answers
251 views
Pros and cons of randomised question generation
I am developing an assessment piece where the content is the same but the particular numbers are different for each student. It involves finding Triangle Centers given points using coordinate geometry....
11
votes
1answer
716 views
Effectiveness of multiple-choice versus short answer questions
I want to know if there is any research on whether students' learn better by answering selected response (multiple choice) questions than constructed response (written) questions.
My gut feeling is ...
5
votes
1answer
540 views
Midterm in Mathematics Courses
Can someone point me to papers indicating whether or not a midterm is an important part of a course?
I suspect I can find many 'experiential anecdotes' that midterms are good/bad/moot but I would ...
17
votes
6answers
5k views
How to deal with a “protest” assignment?
I just received one assignment (by email) from a student. Out of 6 questions, "I don't know" is the answer to 4 of them.
There is also a comment at the end of the assignment which suggests
my ...
58
votes
4answers
4k views
Is it worth grading calculus homework?
I am a young math educator. I've TAed four semesters of calculus for various instructors. Some instructors have required me to grade selected problems in homework sets. Another required me simply to ...
6
votes
1answer
236 views
Measure of Improvement in Math Skills from Remediation with ALEKS
I am analyzing some data on ALEKS for my home institution (ALEKS, an acronym that stands for "Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces", is an online tutoring and assessment program that includes ...
5
votes
1answer
158 views
For what subjects and grade levels is the take-home exam suitable?
I'm starting my job as a mathematics teacher in an intermediate school.
I want to follow some new way of assessment and I'm really curious about take-home exams; are they suitable for any subjects? ...
1
vote
1answer
200 views
Evaluation and feedback using Optical Mark Recognition systems in secondary school
OMR in exit tickets
I plan to use an
OMR, Optical Mark Recognition systems at the end of (some of) my classes.
I want to use the same OMR system for exit tickets scattered over the academic year (not ...
5
votes
1answer
137 views
Practical ways to check if a student has mastered a particular topic
I've been thinking that in an ideal world math classes would be self-paced, with a student being required to demonstrate mastery in a collection of topics and techniques in order to complete the ...
8
votes
0answers
175 views
Are there standard questions for testing how an instructor grades calculus?
My institution is now in the process of "standardizing" our calculus classes. One issue we have is the variation among instructors in grading problems. I am interested if there are ways to objectively ...
2
votes
0answers
65 views
Is the annual system still in vogue anywhere in Europe, North America, Australia, or East Asia? And what about the 2-year B.A. / B.Sc. degree?
In Pakistan, we have until now had 2-year B.A./B.Sc. and 2-year M.A./M.Sc. university degrees after our 12th grade F.A./F.Sc. qualifications. Thus the former was a 14-year academic qualification, ...
9
votes
5answers
272 views
Mathematics exam — How to keep brain functioning through a four-hour exam?
So my question isn't directly related to math, but I think you might be able to help me. I'm a 17 year old, last year at school. My class specializes in math/physics (that's our educational system in ...
20
votes
2answers
573 views
Separating the roles of “teacher” and “assessor”
Teachers at the university level (at least what I've seen in the US) are responsible for both
teaching students the material for a course, and
assessing the students' understanding of the course ...
18
votes
5answers
335 views
Can homework play a substantial role in the assessment of understanding in university math?
Ideally, I'd like my students' grades to be based on more than just exams, because I think that certain tasks, such as writing proofs, aren't best performed in a test environment. Using homework for ...
10
votes
2answers
151 views
Cognitive demands of a mathematical task
I'm looking for a theoretical framework to classify a task based on its cognitive demand.
I only have the Smith and Stein's (1998) proposal and PISA framework such as my principal references. In ...
12
votes
4answers
369 views
How to design multiple choice questions
I've seen the previously-asked questions about the effectiveness of multiple choice problems, but I want to know about design. What are best practices in multiple choice problem design? The "common" ...
4
votes
1answer
256 views
how to prove my 6th grade son knows algebra 1?
My son is taking pre-algebra in 6th grade. He mastered algebra 1 in detail more than what school can teach. How to prove to school that he mastered Algebra 1? He wants to start Algebra 2 in 7th grade. ...
12
votes
2answers
233 views
How do you incorporate the results from a final exam into evidence of learning in a valid and justifiable way (i.e. grade determination)?
How do you incorporate the results from a final exam into evidence of learning in a valid and justifiable way (i.e. grade determination)?
This question is open to all education levels.
What is your ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Problem with “Calculated Formula” question in blackboard online test
I received the error message "Question Syntax. There is an error in the syntax of this question. One or more variables may be invalid." when I tried to make the following question:
Compute $\|\langle ...
27
votes
4answers
880 views
The Undergraduate Responsibility Gradient
We tell undergraduate students that they should study two to three hours for every hour they spend in class. We know that many students don't follow through with this nearly to the degree that they ...
27
votes
7answers
2k views
How to solve the problem of Wolfram Alpha?
I teach to predominantly non-majors in college algebra, precalculus, and calculus.
How can one possibly incentivize or rationalize assigning practice problems outside of class when this software is ...
7
votes
1answer
312 views
Test of level of a student for secondary school
I am looking for a test, paper based, execution time less than one hour, for an initial assessment of the math knowledge level of a secondary school student.
I need to evaluate, very approximately, ...
9
votes
2answers
134 views
What do you look for in a student presentation?
Context: I am teaching a course on plane geomtery at an mid-size state University in the USA for students who wish to be high school math teachers. They will have to make presentations once per week, ...
21
votes
2answers
643 views
Exam philosophy
I'm curious if anyone knows of any books, studies, or other resources on the philosophy of creating and grading mathematics exams. After working as a graduate TA for 4 years and dealing with a wide ...
8
votes
1answer
88 views
Assessing the level of students in a class
Recently I've moved to another university and next semester I will have my first class there. The problem is that I don't know the level of the students that will be attending my class. Of course, I'...
3
votes
3answers
117 views
Instructions for a problem set
These are my instructions for a problem set that I am giving for a Math 60 (Intro Algebra) class at a community college. What do you think? Are they clear? What would you add or subtract?
These ...
16
votes
2answers
210 views
What happens when the state mandates college math placement policies?
The state of Illinois is currently considering a bill to mandate that all public institutions accept a score of 3 on every Advanced Placement exam. Bill here. The lobbyists in favor of the bill claim ...
8
votes
4answers
324 views
Teaching arithmetic operations ($+ - \times \div$) to a 3 year old
What is the best way to teach the standard arithmetic operations ($+ - \times \div$) to a 3 year old child?
Also: How we do know if the child has really understood it?
can a kid be 3 years old ...
10
votes
3answers
3k views
Questions for Oral Examination in Mathematics
I am working on some research on implementation of oral assessment in mathematics classroom, and I was wondering are there any questions/problems/concepts in mathematics that can be only assessed ...
10
votes
2answers
327 views
Placement tests for middle school math
Our district has changed its approach to placing students in grades 6 and 7 math classes. Students considered for placement above grade level must now take a test composed of problems drawn from the ...
9
votes
4answers
229 views
How to assess an undergraduate mathematics program?
Our university and department, like most, are required to "assess" our program annually. In the past our department has done this by e.g. picking one of the learning outcomes for our program and a ...
13
votes
1answer
1k views
elementary level assessment tools
I'm looking for an assessment tool to ability group 4th and 5th grade students, in particular setting a "top" group. This group would receive more enrichment, less practice on concepts and a faster ...
14
votes
2answers
215 views
How can you determine the quality of your teaching, or someone else's?
The question in the title is immensely subjective and broad, and so I would like to narrow it to an answerable question:
What measures are in common use by administrators and researchers in ...
11
votes
2answers
2k views
Project/Assessment based on Flatland for Secondary Geometry Class
One of my favorite books is Flatland by Edwin Abbott, which is incredibly rich in geometric concepts especially relating to dimensionality. I would really like to assign it to my secondary geometry ...
