Computer Aids for Designing Effective Multiple Choice Questions

With minimal training in assessment design, professors must generate high quality examinations that fairly assess student accomplishment of course objectives. Multiple choice questions are frequently used for this assessment, but often do not address learning objectives, are misinterpreted, and if reused, may challenge the integrity of some students. It is proposed that computer aids for generating multiple choice tests might be of considerable use to an instructor. This study presents a first step in building such aids, that of demonstrating via a case study, the inadequacy of current multiple choice test item generation methods. The case study also uncovers the functionality to build into a computer test generation aid for instructors. Bloom’s taxonomy of learning objectives, discriminant analysis and student evaluations of questions is used to analyze the question data used in this study.