ITECPD Trains UEW Affiliate Colleges of Education Tutors on Test Item Construction
The Institute for Teacher Education and Continuing Professional Development (ITECPD), University of Education, Winneba (UEW), has organised a week-long test item construction workshop for tutors in the affiliated Colleges of Education.
The workshop, held for tutors of level 100 general courses and level 200 early grade, took place from Monday, 8th to Saturday, 13th March, 2021, at Windy Lodge Hotel, Winneba.
The workshop planned to resource tutors with the skills to develop standardised framework or format of assessment, specifically test items that will address the competencies enshrined in the new four-year Bachelor of Education Curriculum.
As a result, participants were expected to use the course manuals to set appropriate objective test items, understand the use of the table of specification for item construction and support their colleague tutors to use the course manual to develop items for college-based assessment.
Prof. Dandy George Dampson
The Director, ITECPD, Prof. Dandy George Dampson, disclosed that a micro-ethnography research conducted by some lecturers in the Department of Educational Foundation, UEW, indicated a symphony of ‘learn, chew and pour’ from students as well as teach and go from some lecturers, adding, an intervention was initiated by the Department and yielded good result.
“We must understand that the teaching and learning process ends after effective and efficient assessment of our students. It is, therefore, our duty to set problem-solving and critical thinking questions to challenge our students while becoming active participants in the invigilation process. We all agree that effective teaching and learning outcomes require intentional and formalised assessment, and developing effective assessment skills also require continuous updating of the skills of tutors.
“Furthermore, GTEC external moderation of examination questions memo requires that test items constructed by tutors cover: lower-order cognition (knowledge/comprehension), high order cognition (application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) and other rubrics (clarity of questions, good-mix, coverage of syllabus levels of cognition, skills being tested and standards of assessment). Thus, tutors need to acquire professional knowledge and skills in assessment, specifically, test item construction,” Prof. Dampson stressed.
Prof. Ernest Kwasi Amponsah
The Dean of Student Affairs, UEW, Prof. Ernest Kwasi Amponsah, who welcomed participants on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, Rev. Fr. Prof. Anthony Afful-Broni, emphasised the sacred consideration of examination, setting of the questions, invigilation and marking in the workings of UEW. He entreated participants never to take the examination for granted as the University prioritise it and does not spare those who faulter.
There were erudite presentations and analytical deliberations on the following topics “Construction and use of Table of Specification, Construction of Objective Test Items and the Various Types of Objective Test Items, and Construction of Essay Type Questions”. The facilitators were Dr. Yayra Dzakadzie, Prof. Samuel Asare Amoah and Dr. Peter Eshun.
Each participant was given a certificate of participation after the workshop.
