Investigating the relationship between faculty cognitive expectations about learning chemistry and the construction of exam questions

Abstract

We have investigated chemistry faculty’s cognitive expectations about learning chemistry and their influence upon the construction of exam questions in a general chemistry curriculum. Faculty cognitive expectations for learning chemistry were measured using QUIMX. Learning objectives and exam questions for a year-long general chemistry sequence were classified according to Bloom’s Cognitive Taxonomy and the Expanded Framework for Analyzing General Chemistry Exams. Analyses revealed correlations between learning objectives and the type of exam questions. Faculty cognitive expectations correlate with the algorithmic or conceptual nature of exam. The findings suggest that incorporating more conceptual assessment requires faculty to articulate explicitly their cognitive expectations and integrate them into the writing of learning objectives.