OEC Assessment Strategies 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When designing a timed online exam, which approach best balances security with accessibility?
- Use the shortest possible time limit to deter cheating
- Set time limits based on pilot testing while offering documented accommodations for extended time (Correct answer)
- Require all students to complete the exam within the same rigid window with no exceptions
- Eliminate time limits entirely to reduce all potential bias
Correct answer: Set time limits based on pilot testing while offering documented accommodations for extended time
Evidence-based time limits combined with accommodation policies ensure both assessment integrity and equitable access for all learners.
Question 2: Which practice most effectively reduces test-taking advantages gained from question sharing in online courses?
- Publishing answer keys after each attempt
- Using large randomized question banks and randomizing answer order (Correct answer)
- Allowing unlimited retakes with the same question set
- Requiring students to sign an honor pledge only
Correct answer: Using large randomized question banks and randomizing answer order
Large question banks with randomized item and answer ordering make it impractical for students to share or memorize specific test content.
Question 3: A student's portfolio shows strong growth from the beginning to the end of the course, but their final exam score is low. How should an online educator interpret this?
- The portfolio should be disregarded because the exam is more rigorous
- Multiple data points together provide a more complete picture of student learning than any single measure (Correct answer)
- The exam score is the only reliable indicator and should determine the final grade
- The student likely cheated on the portfolio assignments
Correct answer: Multiple data points together provide a more complete picture of student learning than any single measure
Using multiple assessment measures gives educators a more holistic and accurate view of student learning than relying on a single assessment type.
Question 4: Which of the following is the best example of spaced retrieval practice used as a formative assessment strategy?
- A comprehensive final exam covering all course material
- Brief weekly quizzes revisiting concepts from earlier modules (Correct answer)
- A midterm project that requires students to summarize unit content
- Peer review sessions held at the end of the course
Correct answer: Brief weekly quizzes revisiting concepts from earlier modules
Spaced retrieval practice involves revisiting previously learned material at intervals, which strengthens long-term retention and reveals gaps in understanding.
Question 5: An online educator wants to assess collaboration skills in a group project. Which strategy most directly measures this skill?
- Grading each student's final written product individually
- Having students complete a self and peer evaluation rubric focused on collaborative behaviors (Correct answer)
- Assigning one group grade based solely on the final deliverable
- Requiring all group members to submit identical work
Correct answer: Having students complete a self and peer evaluation rubric focused on collaborative behaviors
Self and peer evaluation rubrics focused on collaborative behaviors directly assess how students work together, not just the quality of the end product.
Question 6: What does 'washback effect' mean in the context of assessment design?
- The process of washing out grade inflation over time
- The influence that an assessment has on how instructors teach and students study (Correct answer)
- A statistical method for removing outlier scores from a dataset
- The procedure for returning graded work to students for review
Correct answer: The influence that an assessment has on how instructors teach and students study
Washback (or backwash) refers to the impact that assessments have on teaching and learning behaviors, which can be positive or negative.
Question 7: Which element is most critical when writing selected-response (multiple-choice) questions for an online assessment?
- Using technical vocabulary in every item stem
- Ensuring all distractors are plausible but clearly incorrect upon careful reading (Correct answer)
- Writing stems that hint at the correct answer for struggling students
- Keeping all answer choices the same length to avoid bias
Correct answer: Ensuring all distractors are plausible but clearly incorrect upon careful reading
Effective distractors represent common misconceptions and require students to genuinely know the content to distinguish correct from incorrect options.
OEC Assessment Strategies 4
When designing a timed online exam, which approach best balances security with accessibility?