Alonso Manuel, Stella Carlos, Galagovsky Lydia
Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Ciclo Básico Común, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pab. III, P. B., Av. Int. Cantilo s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 2008 Jan;36(1):16-21. doi: 10.1002/bmb.20147.
Enrollments into first-year university biology courses may be very large, and therefore evaluating student learning can represent quite a challenge. In this article, we present our experience in assessing students by means of an assessment instrument called "Understand Before Choosing" (UBC). It has been used for six semesters, and its performance has been compared with two other common means of assessment, the use of multiple-choice questions and the use of open-ended questions. UBC consists of a text (100 lines, nearly 700 words) on the subject being tested, and a set of carefully worded questions that require the selection of one of five crafted options to be answered. To choose the best option, a student needs to understand the concepts embedded in the text.
