Item Bank/Question Bank

V.Thanikachalam,B.E., M.Tech., Ph.D., M.S., FIE., FIGSFormer Professor and Head, CIA, NITTTR Chennai

Concept of Item BankValidated test itemsPrepared for a given curriculumBased on the specific instructional

objectivesCreation of a bank- an exhaustive list of

itemsFor the use of teachers and examiners

Items SUPPLY TYPE ITEMS Fill- up the blanks Short answer questions/one word answer

questionsSELECTION TYPE ITEMS True /false items or alternative response Matching items Multiple choice items

Essay TypeExtended responseRestricted response

Uses of Item BankEasy construction of test /examination

papers.Quick construction of test instruments

using validated itemsReduce the cost of preparationGuidance in planning instructionsGuidance in the preparation of textbooks Guide the new faculty

Prohibited Use of Item BanksPrinting and supplying to the studentsMaking them available in the librariesSupplying to tutorial collegesPrinting and selling in the marketUsing as guide to teaching

Update the item bankWhenever the curriculum is revisedWhenever new research results are

published in the concerned topicsWhenever standards are revisedWhenever acts or rules or regulations

are modifiedWhenever standards are revised

Essay Type QuestionsLong answer /Unrestricted response

questionsStructured essay questions/restricted

response essay questionsHigher order abilitiesDesign, analysis, evaluation, planning, Creative proposal

Preparation of ItemsFor each specific instructional objectiveAppropriative items are generatedValidated by the teachersModel question papers are preparedTested through a test on the learners Items are analyzedModified Improved

Content Validity Meaning- How well the test task

represents the domain of the tasks to be measured?

Procedure- Compare the test tasks to the specifications describing the domain under consideration

Criterion –Related ValidityMeaning-How well test performance

predicts future performance or estimates current performance on some valued measures other than the test itself.

Procedure for TestingCompare test scores with another

measure of a performance obtained at a later date (for prediction)

OR- With another measure of performance obtained concurrently ( for estimating present status)

Construct Validity Meaning - How test performance can

be described psychologically ?Procedure – Experimentally determine

what factors influence scores on the test.

Competencies and Item Bank Identification of competenciesSelection of evaluation instrumentsValidity of the instrumentsSetting standardsPlanning for the remedial instructionValidating the program objectives

Other Uses of Item BanksTest instruments for students placementFormative evaluationDiagnostic evaluationSummative evaluation

Prepare Program Educational ObjectivesFor each program of instruction,

develop Program Educational Objectives, and Course objectives

Validate the objectives through a workshops involving experienced teachers, representatives of employers

Generate a Set of Specific Instructional ObjectivesState the acceptable performance Indicate the criteriaState the internal conditionsSpecify the field/external/organizational

conditions

Generate The ItemsWrite the items based on the specific

instructional objectives

Uses of Short-Answer ItemsTesting the knowledge of terminologyTesting the knowledge of specific factsTesting the knowledge of principlesTesting the knowledge of method or

procedureTesting the interpretation of the dataTesting the key regulations, rules,

restrictions

Edit the ItemsCheck the directionsCheck the vocabulary and sentence

structureCheck the appropriateness of the itemsAvoid unintended clues to the answerCheck the units of measurements

Some Common Clues in Test ItemsGrammatical inconsistenciesVerbal associationsSpecific determiners (e.g., always )Phrasing of correct responsesLength of correct responsesLocation of correct responses

Advantages of Short-Answer ItemsThe students must supply the answerReduces the possibility of guessingThey have to recall the informationCalculate /compute to solve the problem

Limitations of Short-Answer ItemsUnsuitability for measuring complex

learning outcomesDifficulty of scoring (unless the question

is very carefully phrased) Can not be machine scoredCost of evaluation is highTakes more time

Suggestions for Constructing Short-Answer ItemsWord the item so that the required

answer is both brief and definite.Do not take statements directly from

textbooks to use as a basis for short-answer items.

A direct question is generally desirable than an incomplete statement

Contd.Where the answer is to be expressed in

numerical units,indicate the system of units.

Blanks for answers should be in equal length and in a column to the right of the question.

Alternate- Response ItemsMeasures the ability to identify the

correctness of statements of facts, definitions of terms, statements of principles…

True/ false items

AdvantagesEase of constructionA wide sampling of course material

LimitationsLimited learning outcomes that can be

measuredSusceptibility to guessing (50 %) The reliability of each of item is lowThe diagnostic value is lowThe validity of students responses is

questionable because of response sets

Suggestions for ConstructingAvoid broad general statements, if they

are to be judged true or false.Avoid trivial statements.Avoid the use of negative

statements,and especially double negatives.

Avoid long, complex sentences.

Contd. Avoid including two ideas in one statement,

unless cause-effect relations are being measured.

If opinion is used, attribute the source. True and false statements should be

approximately equal in length The number of true statements and false

statements should be approximately equal.

Matching ItemsConsists of two parallel columns with

each word, number, or, symbol in one column (premises) being matched to a word, sentence, or phrase in the other column(responses).

Checks the ability to identify the relationship between two things.

Advantages Possible to measure a large amount of

related factual material in a short time.Ease of construction.

Limitations Restricted to the measurement of

factual information based on rote learning

Highly susceptible to the presence of irrelevant clues

Difficulty in finding homogeneous material that is significant from the viewpoint of learning outcomes.

SuggestionsUse only homogeneous material in a

single matching exercise Include an unequal number of

responses and premisesState the conditions in the use of

responses (may be used once/ more than once/ or not at all).

Contd. Keep the list of items to be matched brief and

place the shorter responses on the right. Arrange the list of responses in logical order. Indicate in the directions or the basis for

matching the responses and premises. Place all of the items for one matching

exercise on the same page.

Develop a Test PaperFor each unit of instructionFor each course of study

Conduct a TestSpecify the timeSpecify the marks for each itemSelect the target learnersWatch the progressNote down the quires raised

Evaluate the ItemsDetermine the item difficulty

Chance ScoreTwo-choice items---50%Three-choice multiple-choice item---

33%Four-choice multiple –choice item---

25%Five-choice multiple-choice item---20%

Prepare a set of question papers for a given course in engineering based on the

course objectivesThank you