Teaching One Way and Testing Another: An Interview with Scott Howell by James L. Morriosn
Editor-in-Chief James L. Morrison interviews Scott Howell, the co-editor of a three-volume book series entitled Online Assessment and Measurement that was published in 2006 by IDEA Group. In discussing his own research, Howell first highlights the value of test blueprints as a valuable tool for ensuring an effective alignment of assessment methodology with instructional content and course design. In turn, Howell addresses how the changes associated with new technologies in the 21st-century classroom have further deepened the gap between teaching practice and testing practice. To address this problem, Howell argues that assessment strategies should draw upon the same multimedia technologies that already inform innovative teaching methods while maintaining that such technology-enhanced assessment should remain structured and focused on clearly defined learning outcomes. As Howell explains why educators should align their means of assessment with the presentation of instructional content, he also identifies some of the challenges, obstacles, and institutional constraints that must be overcome in order to ensure the best fit between the way we teach and the way we test.
