Domain 2: Training need assessment
Intermediate
2 sessions of 2 hour each
Questionmark
Computer/multi-touch device.
Internet connection.
The activity consists on elaborating a quiz contest with individual and also group tasks aiming to obtain information for a global diagnosis of the adult learners. The activity purpose is to collect useful information regarding to the learners’ previous knowledge on the subject to be taught. As a result, possible mistakes in their preconceptions will be detected. This assessment will enable the educator to establish a general guidance for teaching new contents, making connections with the previous knowledge of the learners and minding the learners’ needs for a curriculum accommodation plan.
Initial knowledge assessment is very valuable to guide teaching-learning process. This will help the educator to adapt the different activities planned according to the student’s needs, developing proposals with different levels of difficulty. The prescribed feedback allows trainees to learn from formative assessments or be directed towards learning experiences with diagnostic assessments.
Technology allows creating and organising question’s data banks in topics and subtopics from which gather the questions in tests and surveys. It also helps the trainer to provide an appealing quiz, including a wide variety of question types and styles, incorporating videos and images if necessary.
- Creating and editing questions/ items using ICT.
- Applying stimulus (images).
- Creating digital assessment activities focusing on the different thinking processes.
- Analysis and understanding adult learners learning needs in a globalizing way, by selecting/ developing appropriate item types.
Questionmark is a software tool which allows measuring knowledge, skills and attitudes. It enables to author, deliver, and report on tests, quizzes and surveys for pre-course test and needs evaluation (among others applications).
Questionmark training solution is under different trademarks with similar features and some updates (Perception, OnPremise, OnDemand).
This is not a free tool but you can get a personalized demo and a free 30-day trial
Perception 5.7 Install Guide:
https://www.questionmark.com/content/questionmark-perception-57-install-guide
Stage 1: Planning
Start the activity by focusing in a real adult learner’s class that you work with. Please, focus on a subject that you teach and take into consideration their curriculum framework of reference.
Stage 2: Definition of the assessments questions/quizzes.
Considering the learning goals, you should define ten questions to explore the adult learners´ needs and previous knowledge related to the particular training that you will perform. Some of the questions must be individual and others to be resolved in group. The assessment activities should be varied to cover different thinking processes: compare, resume, observe, classify, interpret, imagine, organise data, planning, etc.
Stage 3: Using Perception tool to create the training needs assessment quiz.
Use Perception tool to create training needs assessment quizzes by applying items types of your choice and including images in at least half of the total questions.
Stage 4:
Draw conclusions from the adult learners´ performance (student´s alternative views/conceptions, and learning prerequisites), in order to adapt your learning plan to the student´s needs and difficulties and for the adult learners to become aware of the starting point for the learning process.
- Planning the activity: setting the target group and the competency level, minding the objectives plus contents intended.
- Outline the questions.
- Becoming familiar with Perception tool. Exploring its possibilities (available on the website).
- Registration for using the tool (free trial).
- Selection of the different items types and images to be used. Desktop research to identify appropriate images/videos, etc.
- Collection of quiz results provided by the program to set clearly the starting point of the learning process according to the global diagnosis obtained.
When developing the items for the quiz, remember to write them in such a way that they are fair, valid, and reliable. For achieving it, you must avoid trick questions, confusion and misleading. In order for the items to be valid make sure that they are specifically related to the objectives of the assessment and also are adapted to the level of knowledge of the adult learner. In order to be reliable, the items need to reduce the possibility of guessing.
When developing the items you can use the following structure: question/ quiz, choices/ possible responses and score for each choice.
Please take into consideration the characteristics of well-written items/stimulus:
- Clearly described
- Concise
- Positive phrasing
- Avoid jargon
- Avoid testing multiple pieces of knowledge in a simple question.
- Similar length. As short as possible.
- Avoid keywords from the stimulus.
- Avoid grammatical cues/ inconsistencies.
- Reduce the possibility of guessing as much as possible (yes/no answers increase that possibility). Advisable to provide 4 possible answers when using closed-ended questions.
- Focused on assessing knowledge abilities about the subject matter and not about language skills.
It is desirable that someone else reviews the quiz in relation to its spelling, grammar, accuracy, readability, and interpreting.
Questionmark incorporates many security features to ensure that assessments can be run in a safe and secure environment at work or at home:
https://www.questionmark.com/es/content/a4-security
It also offers advice for security using the tool:
https://www.questionmark.com/content/perception-security-recommendations