A TOOL FOR PERFORMING ITEM ANALYSIS TO ENHANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING EXPERIENCES

摘要

Assessment is one of the most essential educational tools. When properly developed and interpreted, assessments canhelp instructors better understand what their students are learning, identify specific areas which need clarification,and improve both teaching and learning experiences. Item analysis is a widely used tool for assessing learningoutcomes. It provides the means for gathering evidence about students’ knowledge on specific topics or knowledgeareas. It can be used to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses, to monitor student learning and progress, and toplan and conduct instruction. However, due to the cumbersomeness of calculating relevant statistics, some bestpractices in item analysis are too infrequently used in practice. This paper describes an item analysis tool that isintegrated into the online programming assignment management and auto-grading system and presents results of anempirical study to show how it can be used to assess students’ learning outcomes and enhance teaching and learningexperiences.