Influence of True/False Tests and First Language on Engineering Students' Test Scores

True/false and open‐ended test scores were compared for an undergraduate engineering course. There was good correlation between the scores indicating that the use of true/false test items did not alter ranking of students regardless of whether or not their first language was English. Use of a mix of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of engineering education (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 91; no. 1; pp. 25 - 32
Main Authors Lackey, Laura W., Lackey, W. Jack
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2002
Subjects
Course Content
Engineering Education
Objective Tests
Thinking Skills
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Summary:True/false and open‐ended test scores were compared for an undergraduate engineering course. There was good correlation between the scores indicating that the use of true/false test items did not alter ranking of students regardless of whether or not their first language was English. Use of a mix of test item types is recommended since this permits testing over a greater fraction of the course content, encourages students to study, and is an efficient use of instructor time.
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ArticleID:JEE669
Dr. Laura Lackey has three years of experience as an assistant professor of Environmental Engineering at Mercer University. She earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee. The Ph.D. was awarded in 1992. She has six years of industrial experience at the Tennessee Valley Authority as an Environmental/Chemical Engineer where she conducted both basic and applied research with emphasis on the mitigation of organic wastes through bioremediation. From 1996–1998, Dr. Lackey was an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama‐Huntsville where she developed and taught a course on bioremediation for engineers. In the three years since Dr. Lackey began her career at Mercer, she has taught 11 different courses, ranging from a freshman‐level Introduction to Problem‐Solving to a senior‐level Process Chemistry course, which she developed. She is also faculty at the Savannah River Site Field Station and is a registered professional engineer.
Dr. Jack Lackey received B.S. degrees in Ceramic Engineering and Metallurgical Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1961. He received a Master of Science degree and Ph.D. in Ceramic Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1963 and 1970, respectively. He conducted basic and applied research on nuclear fuel fabrication, nuclear waste disposal, and processing of ceramic coatings and composites at Battelle Northwest Laboratory and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. From 1986–1997 while employed at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, he performed research on ceramic coatings and composites, advised graduate students, and taught undergraduate and graduate courses. In 1997, he joined the faculty of the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, as a Professor. Since 1997, Dr. Lackey has developed and taught an undergraduate course on materials selection and failure analysis and two graduate courses emphasizing processing of advanced ceramic coatings and composites and the interrelationships between processing, microstructure, and material properties. He has also taught an undergraduate course in materials science and engineering and a graduate course on nuclear materials. Dr. Lackey currently advises eight graduate and two undergraduate students performing research on laser chemical vapor deposition rapid prototyping and processing of ceramic coatings and composites by chemical vapor deposition. He has published 98 refereed papers and has 16 patents. He is the proud father of co‐author Laura W. Lackey.
ISSN:1069-4730
2168-9830
DOI:10.1002/j.2168-9830.2002.tb00669.x