adaptive testing a response to student diversity?

Adaptive testing a response to student diversity?

Martin Barker | School of Biological SciencesSara Preston | Centre for Academic Development

1. Students are uniqueAcademic diversity is increasing among the student intake. We need to respond to this in teaching and learning, not just ‘aiming for the middle’ by default

Diff

ere

nt

score

outc

om

es

depend o

n p

ath

take

n

2. Assessments should be appropriate Adaptive tests give students a series of questions, at a suitable difficulty level, based on the student’s cumulative performance in the test

These students may need extra challenge

#st

ud

en

ts

academic ability

These students may need extra support

‘Default’ teaching & learning

3. Anatomy of an adaptive testStudents are ‘jumped’ to different levels as they gain/lose marks

Moderate

Easier

Harder

Q difficulty levels

‘Jump’ allows students to switch to a different Q types (from Q blocks 2.1, 1.2 etc)

Q 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Difficulty

Hardest

Easiest

An ideal test might have Qs from range of difficulty levels

4. Example: part of an adaptive test Questions are based on critical thinking, problem solving in biological and environmental sciences

5. Results In a pilot study most (94%) students shifted to a different ‘difficulty level’ of Qs once (61%) or twice (6%). Compared with control group, students were more likely (2 P<0.001) to answer ‘suitable’ Qs

6. Conclusion Adaptive testing can provide an appropriate challenge up to, not below or beyond, a student’s academic capacity. This is fairer to students and more informative for teaching staff

Key for diagram below

A water lily plant is growing in the middle of a pond on Day 1. The plant doubles in area every day. The pond is completely covered on Day 20. On which day is the pond is half-covered?

Q1.1 2 marks

An adult shrew is four times as old as its offspring. In 20 weeks, it will be twice as old. How old will adult and offspring be then?

Q1.2 2 marks

+

A group of 10 browsers consumes all the leaves on a tree in 20 days. On a very similar tree, 15 browsers do so in 10 days. How many days will 25 browsers take to consume all the leaves on another very similar tree?

Q3.1 6 marks

The array shows plots within a field. Each letter represents a different treatment. What is the missing treatment, based on the existing pattern?

Q1.3 2 marks

Five enzymes were part of a biochemical pathway. Enzyme K occurred before Enzyme Q but after H. Enzyme X occurred before Enzyme H but after Enzyme N. What is the order of enzymes in the pathway?

Q2.1 4 marks

4 marks

2 marks

0 marks

Answers: Q1.1 =Day 19; Q1.2 =40, 10 weeks; Q1.3 =G; Q2.1 =NXHKQ; Q3.1 = 5 days

Students access different mark combinations.

This partly depends on their performance in the first Q bank