Certificate in University Teaching
Assessment:
Short Answer Question Development
A.
B.
List SIX African countries.
(1 mark each; 6 marks total).
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How many countries make up Africa in total? _______
(2)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Algeria
Angola (Republic of Angola)
Benin (Republic of Benin)
Botswana (Republic of Botswana)
Burkina Faso
Burundi (Republic of Burundi)
Cameroon (Republic of Cameroon)
Cape Verde (Republic of Cape Verde)
Central African Republic (Central African
Republic)
Chad (Republic of Chad)
Comoros (Union of the Comoros)
Côte d'Ivoire (Republic of Côte d'Ivoire)
Djibouti (Republic of Djibouti)
Egypt (Arab Republic of Egypt)
Equatorial Guinea (Republic of Equatorial
Guinea)
Eritrea (State of Eritrea)
Ethiopia (Federal Democratic Republic of
Ethiopia)
Gabon (Gabonese Republic)
Gambia (Republic of The Gambia)
Ghana (Republic of Ghana)
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
Guinea (Republic of Guinea)
Guinea-Bissau (Republic of Guinea-Bissau)
Kenya (Republic of Kenya)
Lesotho (Kingdom of Lesotho)
Liberia (Republic of Liberia)
Libya (Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya)
Madagascar (Republic of Madagascar)
Malawi (Republic of Malawi)
Mali (Republic of Mali)
Mauritania (Islamic Republic of Mauritania)
Mauritius (Republic of Mauritius)
Morocco (Kingdom of Morocco)
Mozambique (Republic of Mozambique)
Namibia (Republic of Namibia)
Niger (Republic of Niger)
Nigeria (Federal Republic of Nigeria)
Republic of the Congo (Republic of the Congo)
Rwanda (Republic of Rwanda)
Sao Tome and Principe
Senegal (Republic of Senegal)
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
Seychelles (Republic of Seychelles)
Sierra Leone (Republic of Sierra Leone)
Somalia (Somali Republic)
South Africa (Republic of South Africa)
Sudan (Republic of Sudan)
Swaziland (Kingdom of Swaziland)
Tanzania (United Republic of Tanzania)
Togo (Togolese Republic)
Tunisia (Tunisian Republic)
Uganda (Republic of Uganda)
Western Sahara (Sahrawi Arab Democratic
Republic)
52. Zambia (Republic of Zambia)
53. Zimbabwe (Republic of Zimbabwe)
1 Mark Each; 6 Maximum
In the Short-Answer Question (SAQ) format…
 Questions can be answered in just a few words
or phrases
 Use constructed responses with a single focus
 Space is allocated on the answer page indicating
the expected length and complexity of the
answers
 Have a comprehensive model answer key to
ensure reliable scoring
Also common when using the ShortAnswer Question (SAQ) format…


Questions may be prefaced with a vignette or
scenario in order to make the question more
clinically based.
Questions may consist of many sub-questions
to build on common content areas.
Compared to Multiple-Choice:
 Easier to develop than multiple-choice questions
 Is not a ‘multiple-guess’ / selected response format
Compared to Essays:





Much easier to score than short or long essay questions
Task more clearly defined
Examinees answer more concisely
Inter-rater agreement higher
Do not need two scorers

Usually more difficult to develop than shortessay or long-essay questions

Harder to mark than multiple-choice questions

Difficult to make answer keys totally
comprehensive

Often only knowledge/comprehension
questions rather than critical thinking or
problem solving
Good SAQ questions clearly, consistently and
fairly assess what we want to assess in an
efficient and effective manner.
How do we maximize:
 Validity?
 Reliability?
 Practicality / Feasibility?
Create questions that:
 Can be answered realistically in a few words or
phrases – avoid long essays.
 Have single focus per question / sub-question
 As much as possible, each sub-question should be
independent from the rest
Restrict the length of the answer by using precise
wording to define the task
 Ask direct questions: “What is . . . ”
 Use actions verbs such as: “List”, “Name”
 Do not use words like “Discuss”, “Describe”,
“Summarize” or “Outline” unless you limit the
length of the answer or specify a limiting
restriction such as “Describe THREE specific
methods of …”
When choosing a topic area:
 Base choice on objective/established content
area preferably based on an examination
BLUEPRINT.
 True/False or Matching Questions have low
reliability and should be avoided

Be careful when using diagrams
When reviewing the questions:

Look at the difficulty level

Is the content relevant to the purpose of the
overall examination?

Provide visual guidelines to indicate how long
an answer is expected

Provide a guideline to indicate the number of
marks and/or importance of the question and
answer



Length of vignettes should be proportional to
the value of the question.
Do not provide cues in text.
Should be of appropriate difficulty and a
relatively plausible situation.




Focused
Not tricky
Challenging but fair
Clear outline of expectations:






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Content expected
Length of answer
Mark allocation
Not ambiguous
Simple, detailed marking scheme and model answers
Little subjectivity required by marker / Objective
Defensible / Fair
1.
Does the question target the learning
objectives to be evaluated?
2.
Will students know exactly what is being
asked of them?
3.
Does the question allow you to give
consistent marks?
Are any of the following good
examples of SAQs?
How can they be improved?
List four characteristics of SAQs (4 marks)
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• Can be answered in a few words / in point form
• Open-ended
• Increases reliability in scoring because the question
structures the responses
• Often starts with words such as “List” or “Name”
• Usually measure knowledge or application of knowledge
• Less subjective than essay questions
• Easier to construct than MCQ but harder to mark
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
List THREE criteria required for an
effective headline.
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
You are a media studies professor who wants to
assess your students' knowledge of the key
features of "yellow" journalism.
Define “yellow” journalism.
_______________________________________

What would you recommend be the best way to
assess the students?
_______________________________________

Define vertigo. (10 marks)

Vertigo is defined as a sensation of
disorientation in space combined with a
sensation of motion. There is a hallucination of
movement of self or the external environment.
How many journalists are there?
__________
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Distinguish a dominant paradigm from an
alternative paradigm.
Discuss the four models of public communication.
Clarify the definitions of mass communication.
What are the implications of globalization of
culture for a country like Nepal?
Describe briefly the distinctive features of media
economics.
What is the 'Spiral of Silence'?
Engwall has made significant contribution to the
understanding of mass communicator's role in
society. Explain succinctly.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using
______ for ______. (15 marks)
List 5 advantages (2 marks each) and 5 disadvantages
(1 mark each) for using ____ for the treatment of
______ . (15 marks total)
List 5 advantages (2 marks each) for using ____ for the
treatment of ______ . (10 marks total)
List 5 disadvantages (1 marks each) for using ____ for
the treatment of ______ . (5 marks total)