Designing Web-Based Training: How to Teach Anyone Anything Anywhere Anytime

7.5. DESIGN EFFECTIVE QUESTIONS

Phrase questions precisely and clearly

Unless learners can understand the question, they cannot answer it. The difference between a clear and unclear question may be just a single word or punctuation mark. Take a little extra time to make sure your questions ask what you want them to.

7.5.1.

7.5.1.1. Word questions and answers clearly

Tests should measure learners' knowledge of the subject matter, not their ability to unravel tricky questions or to parse complex writing. Give clear directions and make answers easy to interpret and select.

• Make the answers complete enough that their meaning is clear. Avoid pronouns.

• Phrase the question to tell learners how many answers they can pick. Otherwise, they may select too few or waste time trying to select more than one.

A native speaker of English should have little problem figuring out in the following example that the first "It" means the Model 329/X and not the more recent 329. However, someone with English as a second language or someone reading in a hurry or someone feeling a bit of test anxiety could easily misinterpret the reference.

Notice also that the only clue that more than one item can be selected is the use of checkboxes rather than radio buttons. A nervous test-taker could overlook that subtle cue. Here is an improved version of the question:

7.5.1.2. KISS—Keep It Simple for Students ...