ТЕСТ ЯК ЕФЕКТИВНИЙ ЗАСІБ ОЦІНЮВАННЯ ЯКОСТІ ЗНАНЬ СТУДЕНТІВ

Abstract

Testing is one of the effective methods to evaluate the level of students’ skills and knowledge. The main purpose of testing is to develop the integrated technology, procedure and instrument for objective and reliable assessment of students’ academic achievements. As an evaluating tool, tests perform diagnostic, educational, developmental, administrative and prognostic functions. They could be applied at different stages of education process in order to obtain prompt and efficient data on the quality of students’ knowledge. Effective tests to meet certain requirements: compliance with the purpose, content and criterion of testing; determination of the difficulty level; detailed students’ instruction and previous partial approbation. Most teachers develop and use tests consisting of four levels of difficulty to assess students’ academic achievements. Among the advantages of test assessments, we define: standardized answers; time saving capacity; large amount of students’ skills and knowledge evaluated at a time; a number of students assessed; application of the computer technologies for students’ assessment etc. However, some drawbacks of tests are: high probability of the correct answer chosen by chance; assessment of students’ final results, not the process; certain categoricity of the answers. The attitude of students for higher education to the assessment of knowledge by means of testing is presented. The efficiency of students’ test assessment depends on the implementation of a number of methodological and organizational features. Along with other control tools, test tasks with computer support are very effective instruments, which stimulate better preparedness for classes and increase motivation to study the subjects. Interrogations can be substituted by computer tests during exams, knowledge checks, etc. The development and implementation of new approaches to the evaluation of a program achievements of the subjects of the educational the process increases the requirements for the quality of control, measurement and evaluation by means of testing in the conditions of distance learning.