IMPACT OF IMMEDIATE RESPONSE FORMAT TESTING IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY COURSE

A pilot project was developed to examine the effects of an immediate response form of multiple choice test on student performance and attitudes in an Environmental Geology course. The instrument, Immediate Format Assessment Tool (IFAT) is a multiple choice answer sheet that uses scratch off coating to cover all potential answers. Students are asked to answer the question by scratching off the desired answer. If correct, a symbol appears and the student receives full credit. If incorrect the student attempts the question again. Each subsequent attempt results in a point deduction.

Two Environmental Geology classes were used in this study, both taught by the same instructor. The test group was given midterm exams using the IFAT answer sheet and a control group was given the same exam using the Scantron format answer sheet. The test was then asked to participate in a survey following each exam. Previous use of this instrument and other anecdotal evidence suggest that students return to the test questions and reconsider their responses, a procedure not performed when given a delayed response multiple test. The survey and performance statistics will be presented.