ASK-BIO Network
Workshops for faculty who seek to improve their assessment practice.
ASK-BIO Network, The Advancing Assessment Skills in Biology Network, is a faculty development initiative for under-resourced institutions funded by the National Science Foundation (RCN-UBE 2018322).
The goal of the ASK-BIO Network is to support Biology faculty in improving question writing and assessment development. Machine gradable questions are a popular option for assessing student learning. These questions are easy to grade, provide opportunities for students to practice problem solving and are commonly found on high-stakes assessments. If only they weren’t so hard to write!
We have developed a series of workshops to help support faculty in developing aligned and reviewed assessments. For each of our workshops we will review some common mistakes that faculty make when writing these types of questions, review psychometric guidelines for writing effective machine-gradable questions and provide attendees with an opportunity to work in small groups to identify and improve your assessment questions.
Upcoming Workshops for 2024
ASK BIO Workshop at Boston University.pdfYou are encouraged to bring test questions to review and correct, but sample questions will be available. Participants will learn how to create a test map and will walk away with a peer-reviewed checklist of best practices for writing selected response items prepared by assessment experts that they can put into practice immediately following the session. Check out our events on the different tabs above!
Attendee Learning Outcomes
At the end of our Level One ASK BIO workshop, participants will be able to do the following:
Utilize learning outcomes to map and create a fair test.
Identify and discuss the process of writing selected response questions to assess learning outcomes.
Utilize an evaluation checklist to improve assessment items.
Evaluate test performance to determine the quality of test items and overall test to ensure effectiveness and fairness.
Additional Information: The ASK-BIO (Advancing Assessment Skills in Biology) Network is an NSF sponsored project (#2018322) designed to provide support for faculty developing assessment items.
Cost: Free with accepted application. Preference will be given to underserved institutions. Travel support is available for in-person workshops