What’s All This Stuff about Self-Tests and Full-Tests: How Do They Look?

This shows an example from United States History I, but it is also applicable to United States History II>

 

Notice Blackboard Before You Take the Self-Test on Essential Terms

Units begin with a quiz on common concepts in history that freshman students commonly do not know.

Notice Blackboard After You Take the Self-Test on Essential Terms

Notice the Self-Test is still there—and you cannot retake it, but you can still look at and you should. Why? You need to know what you know and what you have to learn.

Notice there is additional material to help you teach yourself and below that the Full-Test you can retake as many times as you want—with the highest score counting.


 

What’s All This Stuff about Self-Tests and Full-Tests: How Do They Work to Help You?

One of my favorite thinkers about learning says that what make the difference for learners is their knowing what they know and do not know. This course tries to make it possible for you to learn what you do not know without cost to you in your grade. Here’s what the syllabus says about how they work to help you.

Method of Using Quizzes to Help Students with Varied Backgrounds:

Whether Learning Quizzes on concepts or map locations (200 points) or the Evidence Quizzes for history (40 points), quizzes always consist of:

·         A self-test so you find out what you know and you do not know. The name is self-test because you are testing yourself so you know what you need to do.) The goal is positive so no points are lost. Self-Tests are extra credit and have questions that are only worth .01. (A .01 is so small that it is equivalent to a penny compared to a dollar.)
Tip: On the other hand, it is in your interest to answer Self-Tests accurately so measure your own brain accurately for 2 reasons. 

1.       You want to know what you know and do not know to save time and to correct or complete what you do not know. Caution: With Evidence Quizzes, this is particularly important because, if you miss many questions, you must follow instructions carefully because writing about history is different from your prior experiences.

2.       If you already know the content in the Self-Test and prove that by being correct on over 80 percent of the questions on that Self-Test, you earn the points for its Full-Test without taking it.
Your instructor enters those points at the end of each Unit after the Learning Quizzes close.

·         Once you submit the self-test, Blackboard automatically displays additional content (if needed) and a Full-Test so that you can earn full points while teaching yourself the vocabulary and map locations that you do not know. You may repeat as many times as you wish, and your highest score counts.

A Visual to Help You: How a Self-Test and its Full-Test works

You take a Self-Test

You are right 80% or more of the questions.

Notice what you missed.

You are right 79% or fewer of the questions.

Jot down what you missed—not the whole question but brief words. Tip: You can always go back to look at the Self-Test again.

Blackboard sometimes displays resources, such as dictionary definitions.
If you made more than a 0, Blackboard always displays the Full-Test.

Blackboard sometimes displays resources, such as dictionary definitions. If it does, use Ctrl-F (Find) to search the resources for what you missed. (Ask if you need help.)

If Blackboard does not display the Full-Test, you made a 0 on the Self-Test. (Tip: You can confirm that at My Grades.) Email bibusc@wcjc.edu with your name, class, and the exact name of the Self-Test. I will reply back that I deleted the 0 so you can take the Self-Test.

If you want to, you may take the Full-Test.

You take its Full-Test until you understand.

When the Unit tests close,
your instructor enters Full points for you.

Your highest score counts.

You have the Full points
because you already knew it.

You have the Full points
because you taught yourself.