Creating Online Quizzes

Discussion Topic 1: Creating Online Quizzes

You will be assigned to Discussion Topic Group 1 or 2 to post your initial assignment and will be posting your responses to your colleagues in the other Discussion Group. For example, students assigned to Discussion Topic 1 will be posting their initial assignment in the Discussion Topic Group 1 Forum and post their responses to their colleagues in the Discussion Topic Group 2 Forum.

The testing and assessment process is often a struggle for educators. For many, finding the balance between a seemingly “hard” or “easy” question takes much practice. Furthermore, the development of question formats and stems can be a difficult concept to master. To aid in quiz development, nurse educators can use models such as The 3Cs (illustrated below) to focus more on the content of their questions and less on the actual construction. Nurse educators can also use prompts and templates provided at quiz development websites to assist quiz design. These websites can also help instructors easily administer quizzes in the online environment.

The 3Cs Model of Test Item Writing:

• Content, concepts, and criterion. Use the content of the lesson as well as overarching concepts and nursing criterion (like NCLEX and other formal assessments) as a blueprint for your questions. In addition, consider the ideas and teachable moments that have occurred in the classroom or during clinical rotations.
• Clarity and complexity. Be sure that your question stems are clear, straightforward, and use simple language. In addition, write your questions at the application or analysis level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. This will prompt students to move beyond basic comprehension and memorization.
• Critique. Always go back and examine the questions that you have created. This process should be completed both before and after examinations. As with all teaching strategies, evaluation and revision is imperative to ensure the effectiveness of instruction.

To prepare

• Review this week’s Learning Resources on developing multiple-choice quiz questions. How might you use the 3Cs and other best practices to craft your own quiz questions?
• Reflect on a Lesson Plan that you have created in this course. Which lesson might lend itself towards a pre- or post-quiz?
• Select one Lesson Plan you will use as the focus of your online quiz. Then, craft three quiz questions that are closely linked to the learning objectives and learning need of the lesson.
• Consider the challenges that you experienced in developing your quiz questions.
• Browse the available websites that educators can use to create online quizzes. After reviewing the format and capabilities of various sites, select one to upload your three questions.
• Be sure to copy the web address (URL link) that your colleagues will need to view your quiz.
• Update your Lesson Plan with your three quiz questions and resave with the word “updated” at the end of the file name.
• Consider any challenges that you may have experienced in using the platform that you chose and how you dealt with those challenges.