MCQs are popular for eLearning assessment methods and are effective and efficient to assess eLearning outcomes. Read to get your MCQs right.
Assessment is a vital component in any eLearning course that aims at continuous improvement. It enables employees to monitor their progress and assess themselves. Also, assessment provides feedback to employees as they take the course, and helps organizations evaluate learning outcomes.
One such popular choice for eLearning assessments is Multiple-choice questions (MCQs), which are popular due to their efficiency in testing knowledge across various topics. They offer quick grading, and immediate feedback, and can assess factual recall and higher-order thinking skills.
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Let’s learn everything about MCQs:
- What is a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)?
- What are the Characteristics of MCQs?
- What is the Anatomy of an MCQ?
- What is the Importance of Effective MCQ Design?
- What are the Rules for Framing Effective MCQs?
What is a Multiple Choice Question (MCQ)?
An MCQ is one of the most popular eLearning assessment methods that can be used for formative and summative assessments. Here, in response to a question, the learner is invited to select one correct option from a list of options. It is an effective and efficient way to assess learning outcomes.
What are the Characteristics of MCQs?
Versatility:
MCQs assess various levels of learning outcomes, from basic recall to application, analysis, and evaluation. Because learners are choosing from a set of potential answers, however, there are obvious limits on what can be tested. For example, they are not an effective way to test learners’ ability to organize thoughts or articulate explanations or creative ideas.
Reliability:
Reliability is the degree to which a question consistently measures a learning outcome. MCQs provide less scope for guesswork than true/false questions do, making them a more reliable means of assessment. In fact, we can enhance the degree of reliability by increasing the number of items focused on a single learning objective.
Validity:
Validity is the degree to which a question measures the learning outcomes it claims to offer. Since learners normally answer an MCQ more quickly than an essay question, questions based on multiple choice mostly focus on a broader representation of course material.
What is the Anatomy of an MCQ?
The correct anatomy of an MCQ is crucial for several reasons. It ensures clarity in the question stem and options, helping to accurately assess the learners' knowledge of the intended subject matter. Clear and unambiguous wording in the stem minimizes confusion, while well-crafted distractors challenge the test-taker without misleading them. Additionally, a properly structured MCQ facilitates efficient grading, enhancing the overall effectiveness of assessments.
What is the Importance of Effective MCQ Design?
Effective MCQ design, closely aligned with course goals, covers key concepts and encourages critical thinking, maximizing their impact on learning effectiveness. There are many eLearning authoring tools options that enable the effective creation of eLearning assessments.
Learn how to create assessments in custom eLearning courses, here’s a useful video.
How to Frame Effective Multiple Choice Questions?
Here are the Golden Rules to Follow:
- Avoid grammatical clues
- Keep the alternatives homogeneous
- Alternatives should be mutually exclusive
- All alternatives should be plausible
- And more
What are the Rules for Framing Effective MCQs?
Rule 1: Avoid grammatical clues
Grammatical clues make the answer obvious to learners. We must ensure that the question stem is free from grammatical clues such as ‘a’ or ‘an’.
| Incorrect Question | Correct Question |
|---|---|
A word that modifies an adjective is called an:
|
A word that modifies an adjective is called a/an:
|
Rule 2: Keep the alternatives homogeneous
Heterogeneous content provides clue to the learner on which answer is correct. Alternatives should be homogenous and shouldn’t provide a clue. Also, it is important to note that the alternatives have grammar consistent with the question stem, parallel in form, and similar in length and language.
| Incorrect Question | Correct Question |
|---|---|
Ontario is famous for:
|
Ontario is famous for:
|
Rule 3: The stem should be in a question format, NOT incomplete statements
The stem should either be a question or a partial sentence. This allows the learner to focus on answering the question rather than holding the partial sentence in working memory and sequentially completing it with each option.
| Incorrect Question | Correct Question |
|---|---|
The capital of Indonesia is:
|
Which of the following is the capital of Indonesia?
|
Rule 4: If using an incomplete statement, avoid beginning with blank space
The cognitive load on the learner is increased when the stem is constructed with an initial or blank in- between. So avoid such constructions.
| Incorrect Question | Correct Question |
|---|---|
______________ is a synonym for courtesy.
|
The synonym for courtesy is _____________.
|
Rule 5: Alternatives should be mutually exclusive
Options that overlap confuse learners and can be easily identified as distractors. Also if the overlap includes the intended answer, then there will be more than one option that can be confused as the right answer.
| Incorrect Question | Correct Question |
|---|---|
How long does an annual plant generally live?
|
How long does an annual plant generally live?
|
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Rule 6: All alternatives should be plausible
The function of incorrect options is to serve as distractors. Options that are implausible don’t serve as distractors and hence, should not be used.
| Incorrect Question | Correct Question |
|---|---|
Who among the following directed the film “Titanic”?
|
Who among the following directed the film “Titanic”?
|
Rule 7: Alternatives should be presented in a logical order
Arranging alternatives logically in an alphabetical or numerical order will help you avoid cognitive overload and possible confusion.
| Incorrect Question | Correct Question |
|---|---|
In which of these time periods was World War II fought?
|
In which of these time periods was World War II fought?
|
Rule 8: Balance the placement of the correct answer
If you have noticed, correct answers are usually at the second or third positions. Many instructors have a tendency to bury the answers in the middle, instead of placing them as the first or last option. This practice, however, is quite known to learners. The best method is to randomize the answers.
| Incorrect Question | Correct Question |
|---|---|
| Answer Key
1.a, 2.b, 3.c, 4.d, 5.a, 6.b, 7.c, |
Answer Key
1.b, 2.d, 3.a, 4.c, 5.b, 6.d, 7.b, |
Rule 9: Avoid the use of specific determiners
When words such as never, always, and only are included in the distractors to make them false, they serve as clues to alert learners. Instead, if necessary, you can include them in the beginning of your question stem rather than using them in the options.
| Incorrect Question | Correct Question |
|---|---|
To avoid infection after receiving a puncture wound to the hand, you should:
|
To avoid infection after receiving a puncture wound to the hand, you should always:
|
Rule 10: Keep the alternatives similar in length
An option in an MCQ that is noticeably longer or shorter than the others has a greater chance of being assumed to be the correct answer. Hence, to avoid such choices without good reason, always keep your options similar in length.
| Incorrect Question | Correct Question |
|---|---|
Which of the following is the best indication of high morale in a supervisor unit?
|
Which of the following is the best indication of high morale in a supervisor unit?
|
Wrapping it up!
Learners prefer MCQs over other assessment methods because it is simple and easy to score. By following the above mentioned rules, you can design objective and reliable MCQs to evaluate learning.
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Editor's note: This post was originally published on June 28, 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
