Tuesday, March 4, 2014 “Examining Your Multiple-Choice Questions” In a recent article on The Faculty Focus website, Dr. Maryellen Weimer challenges the belief that multiple-choice questions are the best for exams and tests. She states, “Answering multiple-choice questions doesn’t teach students how to formulate answers; it teaches them how to select answers. And sometimes choosing the correct answer is more a function of literary skill than content knowledge. Multiple-choice questions encourage guessing, and if the guess is correct, students get credit for something they didn’t know. Answer options contain misinformation—that’s what makes them wrong. As students read and consider all the possible answers, they are exposed to incorrect content, which some research has shown influences subsequent thinking about the topic.” To read more of Dr. Weimer’s article,please click here.
