Multiple Choice Questions
Most e Learning modules that you undertake will contain some form of assessment. You may have to complete this to obtain your certificate which is useful for recording your continuing professional development (CPD).
Assessments in an e Learning course such as the Erudition Dementia Awareness package will be fairly simple in format. Because of the limitations of the delivery they cannot, for example, ask you to write an essay. The software cannot mark this (yet!). A common format is the use of multiple choice questions (MCQ’s).
A typical MCQ test will look something like this:
Who is the lead singer with the Rolling Stones?
a) Luciano Pavraotti
b) Frank Sidebottom
c) Mick Jagger
d) Keith Moon
You will then be asked to select one answer. There are usually, but not always, four options. It is often the case that two will clearly be wrong, one will be close to the correct answer and one will be correct.
If you have not sat a test paper involving multiple choice questions (MCQ’s) then it is worth some research about this format. First used by the American Military the attraction of MCQ’s to organisations is that they are a relatively cost effective way of putting large numbers of candidates through a selection procedure. They are easy to mark – this is often done by a machine.
A disadvantage is that they are something of a blunt tool. The limitations of the format – a question followed by four possible answers means that there is only a correct or an incorrect answer with nothing in between. We know that real life is rarely so monochrome. This is also a limitation to question setters as what they write has to be completely free of any potential misunderstanding or ambiguity. There is no opportunity for the learner to evidence discussion or critical thinking.
One important aspect of sitting an online multiple choice test is to check if there is any mention anywhere of ‘negative marking’. This is a process used in some exam formats where marks are deducted for an incorrect answer. The rationale being to reward knowledge and discourage guessing. The effect of the absence of this feature is that there is absolutely no point in not entering an answer for every question even if you have no idea. It is, in betting terminology, a four to one shot that you will get a mark.
If you encounter a multiple choice question and you are unsure of the answer then there is a strategy to deal with this. Before looking at the answers try and decide what the correct response should be. Then check the provided answers and see if what you think is actually there. If so then trust your instincts and plump for this one. If you have no clue as to what is correct, look at the four options. Eliminate any that are obvioulsy wrong and then address the answers that remain. If one promps your memory then go for this. If not, then subject to the negative marking issue we discussed earlier there is no point in leaving the answer blank – guess!
All of our Erudition e learning courses have assessments and for different examples of style why not check our our Self Harm Awareness course or our Challenging Behaviour Course?
We won’t leave you wondering……the correct answer to our sample question is c) Mick Jagger.