Professional Documents
Culture Documents
org/jchemeduc Communication
regardless of directions prohibiting the use of books, notes, and Table 1. Example Question Stems
electronic devices, cheating is among the greatest concerns.14 It
Question
is also believed that online students have the highest tendency Label Question Stem
to consult online sources, complete exams jointly, or seek help
1 The critical mass (minimal mass to sustain a nuclear reaction)
from another person or expert.14 of neptunium-236 is smaller than that of plutonium-239,
Since both students and professors were unexpectedly but a neptunium atomic bomb has never been built because
thrown into the online format with little or minimal time to it is difficult to purify. Since neptunium-236 has more than
83 protons, it is automatically a radioisotope. What is the
prepare for the transition, any potential solutions would need new (or daughter) nucleus that is produced when it decays
to address both the professors’ cheating concerns and the to become a more stable isotope?
students’ increased anxiety. Most institutions were also not in a (A) 93237Np (B) 91
232Pa (C) 92
237U (D) 95
236Am (E) 93
236Np
financial position to invest in effective and expensive 2 Being on a team together, Angie has to deal with Ben way
more than she cares for, and it makes her contemplate
anticheating technologies, such as online proctoring, secure taking Xanax to deal with him. Benzodiazepines, like Xanax,
browsers that prevent students from searching the Internet or bind to GABA receptors in the brain, which may be
accessing other programs, or predictive analytics.15−17 It was responsible for the efficacy of it in anxiety disorder. It was
found to have a binding constant (Kf) with GABA of 38.62.
also difficult to use adaptive tests because it would require Is the binding of Xanax to the receptor a spontaneous
additional costs and structural changes to the course.16 process at 310 K?
Professors and institutions did not have the time to (A) Yes because ΔG° (B) No because ΔG° =
incorporate measures that have effectively been able to catch = −9.42 kJ/mol −9.42 kJ/mol
cheating.9−11 Thus, it was important to find effective measures (C) Yes because ΔG° (D) No because ΔG° =
= 9.42 kJ/mol 9.42 kJ/mol
that minimized costs, minimized disruption to the course 3 During this time of COVID, Dr. Nguyen’s daughters have
structure, and were amenable to a variety of courses. This been working hard at training their cats to sit and stand
paper will present the various strategies used for chemistry using positive reinforcement. They’ve learned that the same
strategy does not work on their dad, so they have an interest
courses at Mount Mercy University (Cedar Rapids, Iowa). in using shock therapy. They wanted to experimentally
■
determine which electrochemical reactions could be used
for shock therapy with Dr. Nguyen as their training test
ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES subject. Which of the following reaction should Dr.
Nguyen’s daughters use to train him (i.e., spontaneous
Higher-Order Thinking Multiple Choice Questions reaction)? (Table given with question)
(A) Cl2 (g) + 2I− (aq) → 2Cl− (aq) + I2 (g)
Competency and programmatic assessments prominently use a
(B) Cu2+ (aq) + Zn (s) → Cu (s) + Zn2+ (aq)
mixture of multiple-choice and short answer (show your work)
(C) I2 (g) + Zn (s) → Zn2+ (aq) + 2I− (aq)
questions.18 Unfortunately, both types of questions have their
(D) All of the above would work.
challenges. It is generally easier to write high-order short
4 In The Curious World of Justin Beiber, Beiber discovers a new
answer questions but grading them is time-consuming and not halogen. He would no doubt name it beiberine and the
amenable to automation, which is a huge disadvantage for symbol Bn, which of the following acids of beiberine is
courses that have large enrollment. Multiple-choice questions named correctly?
can be efficient, objective, easy to grade automatically, and can (A) HBn, (B) HBnO2, beiberous
hypobeiberous acid acid
be successfully used to assess a variety of learning out-
(C) HBnO, (D) HBnO4, beiberic
comes.19−23 Because multiple-choice questions are advanta- hydrobeiberous acid acid
geous on a number of different levels, they are the most
frequently used assessment to measure learning outcomes.22,23
Writing good multiple-choice questions is difficult and time- some irrelevant material,19,20 it makes it difficult for the
consuming because both the exam stem (the question) and the students to search for the answer online. Searches of clear and
answers or distractors have to be taken into consideration.19−21 succinct questions result in questions that will help students
To save time, test bank questions could be utilized; however, it answer the questions quickly because there are a high number
has been found that the majority of them are only knowledge- of similar questions available online. However, searches of
level questions.21,24 Multiple-choice questions can be written questions that contain chemical content result in information
in such a way as to promote critical thinking.23,26 To achieve that is not useful for students to answer the question. Searches
better critical thinking skills through the use of multiple-choice for questions that incorporate a student or instructor result in
questions, the questions need to engage students in a higher- an empty search, which further supports the idea that this
level of cognitive reasoning through application-based strategy minimizes the ability to cheat online.
questions requiring students to combine concepts they have The average item difficulty (fraction of students who
learned.20,23,26 Since test bank questions are available to most answers the question correctly) on these higher-level critical
instructors, there is also a higher possibility that they are thinking questions is 0.54 ± 0.17 (based on 14 questions). In
available through the previously mentioned sites. Thus, it is addition to a good item difficulty average, 12 of the 14
important that novel multiple-choice questions be constructed. questions showed either good or high discrimination.19 This
One strategy to writing higher-level critical thinking analysis does not fully address the concern with using extra
questions that are novel is to provide the students with the information because doing so could make the question less
chemical content information (“facts”) within the question reliable (or reproducible) and valid (or accurate) in evaluating
(Table 1, question 1). Providing the chemical content helps student learning; however, it does show that these higher-order
students develop reading comprehension and is a fairer thinking questions help differentiate between the high-
question for all of the students.26 Another strategy is to use achieving and low-achieving students. Anecdotally, students
either a student (Table 1, question 2) or instructor (Table 1, have also mentioned that they appreciate the humor
question 3) as part of the question in order to provide the accompanying the question because it reduces their anxiety.
context of the question. While the question might contain While the reduction in anxiety has not been formally measured,
B https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00790
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc Communication
it may represent an additional benefit. Famous people can be Box 1. Examples of Scaffolded Short Answer Organic
utilized in the same context instead for courses with large Chemistry Questions
numbers of students or for instructors that do not feel
comfortable incorporating students into a humorous context
(Table 1, question 4).
Novel, Higher-Order Thinking Short Answer Questions
Although student-faculty rapport may be easier to establish in
smaller classes, caution regarding student academic integrity is
important for maintaining a respectful professional relationship
and course culture of fairness on all classes. Faculty who are
too lenient may give students the wrong impression about the
importance of chemistry or the difficulty of the subject matter.
On the other hand, it is also unfair to have unrealistic
expectations of student behavior, develop elaborate schemes to
prevent cheating, or have extremely rigid instructions for taking
examinations. Instead of trying to “eliminate” cheating, it is
perhaps better to be more accommodating and structure exams
so that students using “unauthorized” resources will not have a
large advantage over those who do not. This approach allows
the educator to focus on maximizing student learning for the
majority instead of focusing on stopping the minority that will
cheat.27
One way to focus on optimizing student learning is to write
questions that are novel, specific, and straightforward. The goal
Box 2. Example of Scaffolded Short Answer General
is to write questions that students may be able to use online
Chemistry Question
resources to help them answer, but the question is specific
enough that it is unlikely to completely solve it for them. When
this happens, the assessment tool itself is also a learning tool.
Students can improve their recall of learning objectives and
synthesize this information with information gleaned from
other sources, and students are mimicking “expert practice”.28
The questions can be incorporated as short answer questions
in a mixed assessment since many educators and learning
experts believe that the use of multiple-choice questions does question combining thermodynamics, electrochemistry, and
not assess students’ responses to real-world situations.29 A equilibrium. In this example, the students need to use the
different strategy is to formulate an assessment as if it was a answers they found in the subsequent parts.
take home exam composed of only these novel and specific Short answer questions, such as the examples provided, are
questions. One study even showed that open book and open “straight-forward” in that students need little instruction to
web exams better engage students, minimize the desire to determine expectations for answering a question. Furthermore,
cheat, and can yield better student learning.27 Take home without question “set up” text, these questions provide
exams also provide students an opportunity to apply their students with fewer terms, compound names, or information
knowledge in meaningful, authentic situations, which helps to search for online. Even though image searching is a
stimulate critical thinking.27,29,30 Students are able to focus on possibility and increasingly effective, students are still required
the question asked, especially since the questions require to interpret the search results, especially if the instructor has
higher-order thinking and synthesis of knowledge. already ensured that the answer solution is not readily
In the examples given in Boxes 1, a question was written to available. These types of questions allow for simple changes
provide students an opportunity to show the mechanism of an to be made each time the question is used on an exam, which
organic reaction. The “scaffolding” of the question provides can help the instructor with writing additional novel questions.
students with clues to solve the problem in a manner For example, the molecule skeleton can be significantly
consistent with the way the mechanism was explained in modified, while preserving the functional groups that are
their textbook and lecture. Although there are often several important for the reaction to proceed. Alternative reagents can
acceptable ways to diagram a reaction mechanism in organic also be used to make “new” questions. In the general chemistry
chemistry, this type of question helps to narrow the student’s example, the reaction can be flipped, or different temperatures
focus to the electron flow and how the molecule changes from or concentrations can be used. In all of these cases, many
one step to the next. The student is given some of the underprepared students might see the modified question as
intermediate structures, to help prevent students from being “completely different”.
completely stumped, but others are empty for students to It can be obvious when students use an internet resource to
complete. While Example 1 (Box 1) provided the same answer the questions. For example, it is possible that students
reaction conditions for each step, multistep syntheses can also use a reagent not described in the lecture or textbook.
be written in a similar manner (Box 1, Example 2), with or However, if the reagent/reactant was plausible, the student has
without the accompanying mechanism steps or electron flow demonstrated “expert practice”25 and has found a suitable
arrows. The example in Box 2 shows another “scaffolding” method for the reaction step. For the other chemistry courses
C https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00790
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc Communication
that use math to answer the questions, students could use an requires an understanding of the content and the process. This
equation or a constant not used or taught in the lecture or question also implicitly involves significant figures, which
textbook. Since the student displays enough understanding cannot be given in an online converter. The instructor can
through the selection of an answer in these examples, the insert him or herself into the question or use events happening
instructor has awarded some or all the credit assigned. around the community, which occurred in a question given to
Although we should reward students’ appropriate use of analytical students (Table 2, question 2). Whether the
resources, the instructor should be critical when answers questions are part of a mixed assessment, an open-book
contain inappropriate, extraneous material. For example, if the exam, or a take-home exam, novel questions require students
student answer includes things not asked for in the question, to combine and synthesize information. Any required
when the right functional group is included but the overall information needed to answer these questions should be
structure is incorrect, or the correct equation is used but not given in class and in the textbook, so students do not need to
with the numbers from the question. These situations deserve resort to online resources. However, finding the information
greater scrutiny because they are more likely to be copied online does not give them any advantage besides perhaps time.
without proper interpretation from an outside reference. Increasing Assessment Frequency
These short answer questions were part of a mixed
Traditional face-to-face chemistry courses generally use four to
assessment, and the students were required to submit their
five multichapter exams because it minimizes the amount of
work using a drop box in the Learning Management System.
class time used for assessment. However, in an online or hybrid
Students were encouraged to use a “scanner app” on their
delivery format, this is less of a concern, and a different strategy
smartphone if a scanner was not available. Students were
to increase learning outcomes is to increase assessment
instructed to upload pictures or scans of their answers either
frequency by using quizzes or single-chapter exams. Increasing
on blank pages (clearly numbered) or written on a printed the frequency of assessments provides students the oppor-
copy of the test. The short answer problems could then be tunity to retain the material for a longer period of time.31−33
“hand graded” using a tablet device, tablet computer, or tablet The lower stakes assessment environment also decreases the
pen to provide feedback electronically. students’ desire to cheat online.5−7 Even though the literature
In the previous examples, students cannot utilize memorized on the use of quizzes still include summative or final exams, the
equations, constants, or mechanisms to answer the questions. results showed that the students made greater learning gains
Many educators do not feel that memorizing information is as with the higher frequency of use. Additionally, the time
important as the ability to recognize what is relevant, what is commitment involved per quiz is less, so it makes it easier for
needed to solve a problem, and to use it properly, which is why instructors who had to play double duty at home because day
students are given additional information, such as equations, cares and schools were closed.
physical constants, and a periodic table on the last pages of an Frequent, lower-stakes assessments can lead to greater
exam by many educators. The same idea is expanded when an learning gains and reduced risk for academic dishonesty.34,35
exam is given open-book or open-note. It is expanded still One important factor for the learning gains is that the students
further by a take-home exam, when the “sheets of useful are receiving more frequent feedback, which also allows the
information” now include all resources available to students. instructor to make corrections as needed to both the
Thus, open-book or take-home exams require writing novel assessment tools or the teaching strategies employed.34−37
questions that students have not seen before and cannot There are many reasons students may want to cheat, and since
directly be found somewhere. An internet search can easily grades are one of the top reasons, the desire to cheat on
reveal a conversion factor or a molecular weight, so a question assessments worth fewer points is lower.34 Additionally, if a
needs to be more complex where it can involve using these student is suspected of academic misconduct, the lower-stakes
internet-retrieved values. Student are still required to assessments will help isolate the influence of the misconduct
determine what conversion factors are needed or how to use on the overall course grade.
the molecular weight in a calculation. This naturally leads to To help discourage procrastination, the assessment
questions of higher-order thinking skills and synthesis of frequency increased for a few of the chemistry courses at
knowledge. Mount Mercy when the institution transitioned to the online
Instead of asking students to convert 30.0 pounds into format in Spring 2020. While this increased exam preparation
kilograms, which is easily found online, they are asked to time, it provided more frequent, lower-stakes assessment for
combine a couple of different conversion factors in one students and helped prevent students from procrastinating
question (Table 2, question 1). This question is given to until the week of an examination to study and complete
prenursing students and requires them to set up the problem homework. Most students who enroll in face-to-face classes as
for themselves, determine which conversion factors are needed, undergraduates were faced with the difficult challenge of
and sequence them together correctly using unit analysis. Each creating a routine during online delivery in Spring 2020.
individual step could be found, but to solve the problem Switching to more frequent assessments helped them better
D https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00790
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc Communication
manage their time and break up their study into smaller a pledge only works if the institution has a culture of academic
segments. integrity.17,38
The possibility that a student may be temporarily While there are a couple of different ways to motivate
unavailable was higher with the unique situation faced during students to sign an academic integrity pledge, it is important
the COVID-19 pandemic due to their own illness, responsi- that it is accomplished before they take any online assessments.
bility of taking care of others, or just the abnormality of life. The pledge should also be clear on the definition of academic
These cases would then increase the likelihood that a student integrity, how it will be monitored, and the consequences.17,38
missed a portion of a chapter or may be distressed and Students are more apt to sign a pledge that strikes a positive
distracted enough to do poorly on a quiz or chapter exam, so versus an accusatory tone because the pledge is more
the instructors needed to be more empathetic and aware of encouraging and supportive of the belief that they will act
students’ personal difficulties they may face at different times. properly. Table 3 shows the examples of pledges used by the
authors.
Thus, one strategy employed was to drop each student’s lowest
One student had performed significantly better on the first
quiz score from the gradebook at the end of the semester,
online exam (over 20%) compared to the first two in class
which was not as feasible if only three or four multichapter exams. The student and instructor met through a video-
exams were given. With the increased number of quizzes and conference so the student could discuss the matter and answer
the reduced number of points for each quiz, students were modified questions and show content knowledge. The student
given a lower-stakes and lower stress environment, but the did not appear defensive through email communication or
impact of the dropped score was not as significant. during the video meeting. The instructor concluded that the
to all involved. While the strategies used might not have been (15) Medina, M. S.; Yuet, W. C. Promoting academic integrity
innovative, they were cost-effective, helped students achieve among health care students. Am. J. Health-Syst. Pharm. 2013, 70,
learning gains, and could effectively be utilized in face-to-face 754−757.
settings. (16) Davis, M. R. Preventing Digital Cheating. Ed. Week 2014, 33,
■
34−35.
AUTHOR INFORMATION (17) Lee-Post, A.; Hapke, H. Online Learning Integrity Approaches:
Current Practices and Future Solutions. Online Learn. 2017, 21, 135−
Corresponding Author 145.
Joseph G. Nguyen − Department of Natural and Applied (18) Joncas, S. X.; St-Onge, C.; Bourque, S.; Farand, P. Re-using
Sciences, Mount Mercy University, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402- questions in classroom-based assessment: An exploratory study at the
4797, United States; orcid.org/0000-0002-8855-9604; undergraduate medical education level. Perspect. Med. Educ. 2018, 7,
Email: jnguyen@mtmercy.edu 373−378.
(19) Towns, M. H. Guide To Developing High-Quality, Reliable,
Authors and Valid Multiple-Choice Assessments. J. Chem. Educ. 2014, 91,
Kristopher J. Keuseman − Department of Natural and Applied 1426−1431.
Sciences, Mount Mercy University, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402- (20) Brame, C. Writing Good Multiple Choice Test Questions.
4797, United States https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/writing-good-multiple-
choice-test-questions/ (accessed 2020-05).
Jonathan J. Humston − Department of Natural and Applied
(21) Masters, J. C; Hulsmeyer, B. S; Pike, M. E; Leichty, K.; Miller,
Sciences, Mount Mercy University, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402- M. T; Verst, A. L Assessment of multiple-choice questions in selected
4797, United States; orcid.org/0000-0002-9910-4963 test banks accompanying text books used in nursing education. J.
Complete contact information is available at: Nurs. Educ. 2001, 40, 25−32.
https://pubs.acs.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00790 (22) Cramer, N.; Asmar, A.; Gorman, L.; Gros, B.; Harris, D.;
Howard, T.; Hussain, M.; Salazar, S.; Kibble, J. D. Application of a
Notes utility analysis to evaluate a novel assessment tool for clinically
oriented physiology and pharmacology. Adv. Physiol. Educ. 2016, 40,
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
■
304−312.
(23) Zaidi, N. L. B.; Grob, K. L.; Monrad, S. M.; Kurtz, J. B.; Tai, A.;
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Ahmed, A. Z.; Gruppen, L. D.; Santen, S. A. Pushing Critical Thinking
The authors of the paper thank Dr. Heather Nguyen for Skills With Multiple-Choice Questions: Does Bloom’s Taxonomy
assistance preparing the manuscript. Work? Acad. Med. 2018, 93, 856−859.
■ REFERENCES
(1) Richards-Babb, M.; Drelick, J.; Henry, Z.; Robertson-Honecker,
(24) Hampton, D. R.; Krentler, K. A.; Martin, A. B. The use of
management and marketing textbook multiple-choice questions: A
case study. J. Educ. Bus. 1993, 69, 40.
J. Online Homework, Help or Hindrance? What Students Think and (25) Morrison, S.; Walsh, K. Writing multiple-choice test items that
How They Perform. J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 2011, 40, 81−93. promote and measure critical thinking. J. Nurs. Educ. 2001, 40, 17−
(2) Parker, L. L.; Loudon, G. M. Case Study Using Online 24.
Homework in Undergraduate Organic Chemistry: Results and (26) Walpuski, M.; Ropohl, M.; Sumfleth, E. Students’ knowledge
Student Attitudes. J. Chem. Educ. 2013, 90, 37−44. about chemical reactions - development and analysis of standard-
(3) Revell, K. D. A Comparison of the Usage of Tablet PC, Lecture based test items. Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. 2011, 12, 174−183.
Capture, and Online Homework in an Introductory Chemistry (27) Williams, J. B.; Wong, A. The efficacy of final examinations: A
Course. J. Chem. Educ. 2014, 91, 48−51. comparative study of closed-book, invigilated exams and open-book,
(4) Young, J. R. High-Tech Cheating Abounds, and Professors Bear open-web exams. Br. J. Educ. Technol. 2009, 40, 227−236.
Some Blame. Chron. High. Educ. 2010, 56, A1−A14. (28) Ambrose, S. A.; Bridges, M. W.; DiPietro, M.; Lovett, M. C.;
(5) Grams, M. Cramster: Friend or Foe? Phys. Teach. 2011, 49, Norman, M. K. How learning works seven research-based principles for
225−227. smart teaching; Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, 2010.
(6) Grams, M. The Cramster Conclusion. Phys. Teach. 2011, 49, (29) Anelli, C.; Green, K.; Johnson, C.; Galbraith, B. Assessing and
291−294. Refining Group Take-Home Exams as Authentic, Effective Learning
(7) Foderaro, Lisa W. “Psst! Need the answer to no. 7 on the physics Experiences. J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 2015, 44, 61−71.
exam? Click here”. New York Times: 18 May 2009; Vol. A15 (L), (30) Baghdadchi, S.; Nemerever, Z.; Hadjipieris, P. A.; Serslev, S. G.;
Business Insights: Essentials. webdate 6 June 2020. Sandoval, C. L. Creating Environments for Critical Thinking: Building
(8) Palazzo, D. J.; Lee, Y. J.; Warnakulasooriya, R.; Pritchard, D. E. Upon Multiple Choice Problems in Electrical Engineering Education.
Patterns, correlates, and reduction of homework copying. Phys. Rev.
Proc. ASEE Ann. Conf. Expo. 2019, 8115−8131.
ST Phys. Educ. Res. [Online] 2010, 6, 010104.
(31) The, M. M.; Usagawa, T. Evaluation on e-Learning Readiness
(9) Harpp, D. N.; Hogan, J. J.; Jennings, J. S. Crime in the
of Yangon and Mandalay Technological Universities, Myanmar.
classroom. Part II. An update. J. Chem. Educ. 1996, 73, 349−51.
(10) Harpp, D. N. Crime in the classroom Part IV: Conclusions. J. Tencon 2017 - 2017 Ieee Region 10 Conference 2017, 2072−2076.
Chem. Educ. 2008, 85, 805−806. (32) The, M. M.; Usagawa, T. Effectiveness of E-learning Experience
(11) Harpp, D. N. Crime in the Classroom: Conclusions after 27 through Online Quizzes: A Case Study of Myanmar Students. Int. J.
Years. J. Chem. Educ. 2018, 95, 1900−1901. Emerg. Technol. Learn. 2018, 13, 157−176.
(12) Lanier, M. Academic Integrity and Distance Learning*. J. Crim. (33) Lowe, T. W. Online quizzes for distance learning of
Justice Educ. 2006, 17, 244−261. mathematics. Teach. Math. Its Appl. 2015, 34, 138−148.
(13) Miller, A.; Young-Jones, A. Academic Integrity: Online Classes (34) Charlesworth, P.; Charlesworth, D. D.; Vician, C. Students’
Compared to Face-to-Face Classes. J. Instr. Psychol. 2012, 39, 138− perspectives of the influence of web-enhanced course-work on
145. incidences of cheating. J. Chem. Educ. 2006, 83, 1368−1375.
(14) Srikanth, M.; Asmatulu, R. Modern cheating techniques, their (35) Faraji, S. The enhancement of students’ learning in both lower-
adverse effects on engineering education and preventions. Int. J. Mech. division and upper-division classes by a quiz-based approach. Chem.
Eng. Educ. 2014, 42, 129−140. Eng. Educ. 2012, 46, 213−216.
F https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00790
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc Communication
G https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00790
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX