Abstract
subset of students were ranked independently based on their multiple-choice score, graded explanations, and student interviews. The ranking of these students based on their multiple-choice score was found to be consistent with the ranking assigned by physics instructors based on the students’ written explanations r 0.94 at the 95% confidence level and oral interviews r = 0.94 �0.09 .
Highlights
The Department of Physics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign began reforming its introductory physics sequence in the fall of 1996.1 As part of the reform, midterm and final exams were converted from constructed-response to multiple-choice format
In addition to changing the exams to multiple-choice format, the course reform included the transformation of the recitations sections into discussion sections.[27,28]
Each discussion section ends with a constructed-response quiz, which is graded by the teaching assistant based on the work shown
Summary
The Department of Physics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign began reforming its introductory physics sequence in the fall of 1996.1 As part of the reform, midterm and final exams were converted from constructed-response to multiple-choice format. Prior to this reform, the physics exams had been relatively traditional exams in which students were asked to solve problems and were given credit based on the correctness of their written work. Students often felt the allocation of partial credit was unfair, and a significant amount of time was spent dealing with student appeals This likely produced further systematic effects as outspoken students were more likely to succeed in getting their exams regraded. The net effect of this exam format was that both professors and students were frustrated by the experience
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