Pre-test / Post-test Evaluation of Learning
One common strategy to measure (assess) student learning in a course is to administer a pre-test / post-test assignment. At or near the beginning of instruction, a pretest is given to the class to determine the class’ preexisting knowledge of the content area. Later on – at or near the end of instruction – the same assessment is given in an attempt to demonstrate measurable gains in student knowledge. Some useful suggestions concerning the implementation of such an assessment strategy can be found in this guide from the International Training and Education Center for Health.
Although this assessment strategy is popular, if you read very much literature concerning pre- and post-test analysis you will discover that it is a bit controversial. Its biggest limitation seems to be that the validity of any inferences you can make is rather low. Because there is rarely a control group (the whole class generally takes the pre- and post-tests), there is no reliable comparison to be made. If a statistically significant difference in scores is detected, we cannot be certain that the instruction provided in class actually caused that difference. Another weakness is that the students do not always try their best on the assignments (their score may not truly reflect the state of their understanding).
I use pre-tests and post-tests in my courses (as one means of assessing student learning). The validity problem cannot be helped. Since this is only one measure of student learning, however, I’m not greatly bothered by that. In practice, the gains seen in my pre-test / post-test scores correlate very well (r >0.7) with exam scores. I try to mitigate the student effort complication by awarding bonus points. My students can earn five bonus points each for simply taking the pre-test and post-test. This encourages participation. They may earn an additional five points each for scoring at or above 70% on the assignments. This encourages them to actually try their best.
Analyzing and summarizing the results of these tests can be time-consuming. To simplify the process, I have created a spreadsheet that automatically does it for me. You can find a copy here or in the Resources page. You simply enter some basic course information and copy/paste the matched pre- and post-test scores in. A succinct summary of the test is generated along with a nifty graph. Simply save that one page report as a PDF and you have documentation of student learning that can be entered into TracDat. Give it a try and let me know how you like it. Cheers until next time.