Writing Short ANSWERS ITEMS

Writing Short Answer Items

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What are Short Answer Questions?

Short-answer questions are open-ended questions that require students to create an answer. They are commonly used in examinations to assess the basic knowledge and understanding (low cognitive levels) of a topic before more in-depth assessment questions are asked on the topic.

Structure of Short Answer Questions

Short Answer Questions do not have a generic structure. Questions may require answers such as complete the sentence, supply the missing word, short descriptive or qualitative answers, diagrams with explanations etc. The answer is usually short, from one word to a few lines. Often students may answer in bullet form.

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Advantages of Short Answer Questions

• Short Answer Questions are relatively fast to mark and can be marked by different assessors, as long as the questions are set in such a way that all alternative answers can be considered by the assessors.

• Short Answer Questions can be used as part of a formative and summative assessment, as the structure of short answer questions are very similar to examination questions, students are more familiar with the practice and feel less anxious.

• Unlike MCQs, there is no guessing on answers, students must supply an answer.

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Disadvantages of Short Answer Questions

• Short Answer Questions (SAQ) are only suitable for questions that can be answered with short responses. It is very important that the assessor is very clear on the type of answers expected when setting the questions, because SAQ is an open-ended questions, students are free to answer any way they choose, short-answer questions can lead to difficulties in grading if the question is not worded carefully.

• Short Answer Questions are typically used for assessing knowledge only, students may often memorize Short Answer Questions with rote learning. If assessors wish to use Short Answer Questions to assess deeper learning, careful attention (and many practices) on appropriate questions are required.

• Accuracy of assessment may be influenced by handwriting/spelling skills There can be time management issues when answering Short Answer Questions

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Guidelines For Writing short Answers Questions

• Design short answer items which are appropriate assessment of the learning objective.

• Make sure the content of the short answer question measures knowledge appropriate to the desired learning goal.

• Express the questions with clear wordings and language which are appropriate to the student population.

• Ensure there is only one clearly correct answer in each question.

• Ensure that the item clearly specifies how the question should be answered (e.g. Student should answer it briefly and concisely using a single word or short phrase? Is the question given a specific number of blanks for students to answer?).

• Consider whether the positioning of the item blank promote efficient scoring

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Guidelines For Writing short Answers Questions

• Write the instructions clearly so as to specify the desired knowledge and specificity of response-
• Set the questions explicitly and precisely.
• Direct questions are better than those which require completing the sentences.
• For numerical answers, let the students know if they will receive marks for showing partial work (process based) or only the results (product based), also indicated the importance of the units.
• Let the students know what your marking style is like, is bullet point format acceptable, or does it have to be an essay format?
• Prepare a structured marking sheet; allocate marks or part-marks for acceptable answer(s).
• Be prepared to accept other equally acceptable answers, some of which you may not have predicted.

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ACTIVITY: LET'S DISCUSS READ THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ARE THEY WELL WRITTEN SHORT ANSWER QUESTION ?WHY? OR WHY NOT?

• Identify the protagonist in the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird."

• What color is the sky?

• Define photosynthesis in one sentence.

• What is biology?

• List three properties of acids.

• In one sentence, explain the main idea of the Declaration of Independence.

• What is the formula for calculating the area of a rectangle?

• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the internet.

• What is the capital of France, and what is its population?

• What is the chemical symbol for gold?

• Name two countries that border the United States.

• What are the primary causes of climate change?

• What do you think about the ethical implications of genetic engineering?

• Explain everything you know about World War II.

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ACTIVITY: READ THE FOLLOWING TOPICS AND CREATE 3 QUESTIONS FORM EACH OF THEM.

Topic 1: Daily Routines

Topic 2: Travel and Transportation

Topic 3: Hobbies and Interests

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ABOUT TEST ITEMS

What are types of test items which ones do you find most challenging or effective?

How can the choice of test item format (multiple-choice, short answer, essay, etc.) impact the assessment of student learning? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each format?

How can open-ended test items, such as essay questions, be effectively graded to ensure consistency and fairness among students?

What are some common mistakes or biases to avoid when designing test items to ensure fairness and validity?

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