I think anyone who uses Google or perhaps other search engines is likely to be continually amazed at what information problem solving tasks can be accomplished with such services. Or, perhaps everyone is not amazed and perhaps how we use such services is one of those differences that separates those of us who are supposedly digital immigrants from those who are digital natives. Perhaps it is not so much your level of technical sophistication or what you know, but what assumptions you make.
I have stumbled into what is for me a new use of Internet search – providing examples used in test construction. I mostly teach very large classes (400 students in Introductory Psychology this semester) and multiple choice examinations are a necessary part of my evaluation scheme. I write a significant number of questions for each examination and I also believe in allowing students to keep their exams. This combination means I have to write a large number of questions. It is a time consuming process – I get on my computer, bring up my lecture notes in one window, and write questions in another window that I store in a database. My goal is to write a significant proportion of quetions that require students to apply course concepts. Writing questions at this level is a creative and challenging process. Application questions require the use of examples that students have not experienced in class (or the example would not require application) and examples that students understand or have experienced so that they can attempt to apply their knowledge to a novel situation. Sometimes, I struggle to generate examples that meet these criteria.
I do what students do when working on the computer – I get off task and use my computer for other things. Call this multitasking if you want to spin this tendancy in a positive direction. While I write questions, I “break” to check my email and read blogs. Somehow, out of this combination of tasks, I started searching for examples. For example, I was attempting to generate a good example of negative reinforcement. I searched online and found lists of examples and lecture notes used by other profs. The first item on the list of examples (who generates such things) was the warning bell that goes off in your car when the driver fails to buckle his/her seat belt. What a great example? A situation that fits the definition and that is likely to be part of the experience of a high proportion of students. This Internet thing may last.
Back to writing questions.
