Use of Bloom's taxonomic complexity in online multiple choice tests in geomatics education

Tests are the most common method to evaluate teaching effectiveness throughout the period of instruction (formative) and assess student learning outcomes at the end of the instruction period (summative). Teaching geomatics is not an exception to this rule. The recent proliferation of computer hardware and software technologies now makes Multiple Choice (MC) type assessment methods more attractive. MC tests provide more objective measures on assessing student learning with efficiency over the Internet. In this study we show, using in-house software, that multiple choice tests when combined with technology, especially multimedia, can be flexible and easy to use. The interface has two unique features: 1) it accommodates questions of various multimedia formats, diagrams, tables, images, or equations that can be conveniently incorporated into the examination; 2) it tracks the students' time spent on each question during the examination. We found that 79 percent of the variation in the average time students spent on each question can be explained by Bloom's taxonomy (with a correlation coefficient on 0.89. Hence by grouping exam questions at Bloom's taxonomic levels we can detect student learning difficulties effectively within each level.Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatic