Characteristics of a good test

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Objective

The effective critique is focused on student performance. It should be objective, and not reflect the personal opinions, likes, dislikes, and biases of the instructor. For example, if a student accomplishes a complicated flight planning problem, it would hardly be fair for the instructor to criticize the student's personality traits unless they interfered with the performance itself. Instructors sometimes permit their judgment to be influenced by their -general impression of the student, favorable or unfavorable. Sympathy or over-identification with a student, to such a degree that it influences objectivity, is known as "halo error." A conflict of personalities can also distort an opinion. If a critique is to be objective, it must be honest; it must be based on the performance as it was, not as it could have been, or as the instructor and student wished that it had been.

Flexible

The instructor needs to examine the entire performance of a student and the context in which it is accomplished. Sometimes a good student will turn in a poor performance and a poor student will turn in a good one. A friendly student may suddenly become hostile, or a hostile student may suddenly become friendly and cooperative. The instructor must fit the tone, technique, and content of the critique to the occasion, as well as the student. A critique should be designed and executed so that the instructor can allow for variables. Again and again, the instructor is faced with the problem of what to say, what to omit, what to stress, and what to minimize. The challenge of the critique for an instructor is to determine what to say at the proper moment. An effective critique is one that is flexible enough to satisfy the requirements of the moment.

Acceptable

Before students willingly accept their instructor's criticism, they must first accept the instructor. Students must have confidence in the instructor's qualifications, teaching ability, sincerity, competence, and authority. Usually, instructors have the opportunity to establish themselves with their students before the formal critiquing situation arises. If this is not the case, however, the instructor's manner, attitude, and readily apparent familiarity with the subject at hand must serve instead. Critiques do not have to be all sweetness and light, nor do they have to curry favor with students. If a critique is presented fairly, with authority, conviction, sincerity, and from a position of recognizable competence, the student probably will accept it as such. Instructors should not rely on their position to make a critique more acceptable to their students. While such factors usually operate to the instructor's advantage, acceptability depends on more active and demonstrable qualities than on simply being the instructor.

Comprehensive

A comprehensive critique is not necessarily a long one, nor must it treat every aspect of the performance in detail. The instructor must decide whether the greater benefit will come from a discussion of a few major points or a number of minor points. The instructor might critique what most needs improvement, or only what the student can reasonably be expected to improve. An effective critique covers strengths as well as weaknesses. How to balance the two is a decision that only the instructor can make. To dwell on the excellence of a performance while neglecting the portion that should be improved is a disservice to the student.

Constructive

A critique is pointless unless the student profits from it. Praise for praise's sake is of no value, but praise should be included to show how to capitalize on things that are done well. The praise can then be used to inspire the student to improve in areas of lesser accomplishment. By the same token, it is not enough to identify a fault or weakness. The instructor should give positive guidance for correcting the fault and strengthening the weakness. Negative criticism that does not point toward improvement or a higher level of performance should be omitted from a critique altogether.

Organized

Unless a critique follows some pattern of organization, a series of otherwise valid comments may lose their impact. Almost any pattern is acceptable as long as it is logical and makes sense to the student as well as to the instructor. An effective organizational pattern might be the sequence of the performance itself. Sometimes a critique can profitably begin at the point where a demonstration failed and work backward through the steps that led to the failure. A success can be analyzed in similar fashion. Sometimes a defect is so glaring or the consequences so great that it overshadows the rest of the performance and can serve as the core of a critique. Breaking the whole into parts or building the parts into a whole has strong possibilities. Whatever the organization of the critique, the instructor should be flexible enough to change so the student can follow and understand it.

Thoughtful

An effective critique reflects the instructor's thoughtfulness toward the student's need for self-esteem, recognition, and approval from others. The instructor should never minimize the inherent dignity and importance of the individual. Ridicule, anger, or fun at the expense of the student have no place in a critique. On occasion, an instructor may need to criticize a student in private. In some cases, discretion may rule out any criticism at all. For example, criticism does not help a student whose performance is impaired by a physiological defect. While being straightforward and honest, the instructor should always respect the student's personal feelings.

Specific

The instructor's comments and recommendations should be specific, rather than general. The student needs to focus on something concrete. A statement such as, "Your second weld wasn't as good as your first," has little constructive value. Instead, tell the student why it was not as good and how to improve the weld. If the instructor has a clear, well-founded, and supportable idea in mind, it should be expressed with firmness and authority in terms that cannot be misunderstood. Students cannot act on recommendations unless they know specifically what the recommendations are. At the conclusion of a critique, students should have no doubt what they did well and what they did poorly and, most importantly, specifically how they can improve.