AI use cases for examinations

Prompt for basic recall of factual knowledge 
For creating questions that test factual knowledge.
"Generate [number] questions in [subject area] that test recall of key concepts and facts about [topic]."
Ref: Anderson & Krathwohl (2001). A taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing.

Comprehension prompt
For questions that test understanding of concepts.
"Generate [number] questions that ask students to explain [concept] in the context of [subject area] in their own words."
Ref: Biggs & Tang (2011). Teaching for quality learning at university.
Prompts at application and analysis level

Application prompt
For scenario-based questions that require application of knowledge.
"Create [number] case scenarios in [subject area] where students apply [theory] to solve realistic problems."
Ref: Biggs (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment.

Analysis prompt
For questions that require a breakdown of information.
"Design [number] questions that ask students to analyze relationships between components of [complex topic] in [subject area]."
Ref: Bloom et al. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives.

Evaluation prompt
For critical evaluation tasks.
"Create [number] tasks that ask students to critically evaluate [theory/method] using established criteria in [subject area]."
Ref: Biggs & Collis (1982). Evaluating the quality of learning: The SOLO taxonomy.

Creation prompt
For tasks that require original work.
"Design an assessment task that requires students to create an original [product/solution] that addresses [problem] in [subject area]."
Ref: Shreeve et al. (2010). Constructive alignment and student creativity.
Prompts for multi-level assessments

Prompt for integrated assessment
For comprehensive tasks that span multiple cognitive levels.
"Create a multi-part assessment task in [subject area] that progresses from identification of [concept] to application in [context] to assessment of [related topic]."
Ref: Trigwell & Prosser (2014). Qualitative variation in constructive alignment in curriculum design.

Prompt for authentic assessment
For tasks with real-world application.
"Design a realistic scenario in [subject area] where students must demonstrate [list of skills] as practitioners would in the professional field."
Ref: Gulikers et al. (2004). A five-dimensional framework for authentic assessment.

Prompt for discipline-specific thinking
For discipline-specific thinking processes.
"Generate questions that assess how students apply [discipline]-specific approaches to [topic]."
Ref: Jervis & Jervis (2005). What is the constructivism in constructive alignment?

Prompt for career skills
To assess career-relevant skills.
"Create tasks that measure students' competence in [career skill] within [subject context]."
Ref: Knight (2001). Reconstructing assessment for learning in higher education.

Suppose you are teaching a course on cognitive psychology with a focus on memory models. Here is an example for using the Constructive Alignment prompts:

Step 1: Define the learning objectives

Your students should:

Be familiar with different memory models
Understand the differences between these models
Be able to apply the models to everyday memory phenomena
Be able to critically evaluate research methods for investigating memory
 

Step 2: Applying the prompts for different levels of testing

Knowledge level (basic recall prompt):

Create 5 questions in Cognitive Psychology that test recall of key concepts and facts on multistore memory models.

Sample outcome:
Name the three main components of Atkinson and Shiffrin's multistore model.
Define the term "sensory memory" according to the multistore model.
What is the maximum storage duration attributed to short-term memory in the classic multistore model?
Name two forms of encoding that typically occur in long-term memory.
Describe the process of consolidation in terms of memory.

Comprehension level (comprehension prompt):

Generate 3 questions that ask students to explain Baddeley's working memory model in the context of cognitive psychology in their own words.

Example result:
Explain how Baddeley's working memory model differs from classical short-term memory in the multistore model.
Describe the role of the phonological loop and explain how this can be demonstrated experimentally.
Explain the function of the central executive and its importance for working memory.
 

Application level (application prompt):

Create 2 case scenarios in cognitive psychology where students apply memory models to solve realistic problems.

Example outcome:
An elementary school teacher notices that her students are having difficulty memorizing new vocabulary. Apply Baddeley's working memory model to explain which cognitive processes are involved and develop three specific, theory-based strategies to improve vocabulary learning.
A neuropsychologist examines a patient with amnesia following an accident. The patient can remember events before the accident but cannot form new memories. Use Squire's long-term memory model to explain this phenomenon. Which memory systems could be intact and which could be impaired?
 

Analysis level (analysis prompt):

Design 2 questions that ask students to analyze relationships between different models of memory in cognitive psychology.

Example result:
Analyze the conceptual overlaps and differences between Craik and Lockhart's levels-of-processing model and the multistore model. To what extent do these models complement or contradict each other?
Compare Baddeley's working memory model with Sweller's cognitive load theory. Analyze how both theories contribute to the explanation of learning processes and cognitive overload.
 

Evaluation level (evaluation prompt):

Create an assignment that asks students to critically evaluate research methods used to study memory.

Sample outcome:
Select two of the following experimental paradigms for memory research: a) Word List Recall, b) Directed Forgetting, c) False Memory Paradigm, d) Working Memory Span Tasks.
Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the chosen methods in terms of:
Ecological validity
Construct validity (do they actually measure the intended memory processes?)
Methodological problems
Transferability to real memory phenomena
Refer to at least two empirical studies per method and develop suggestions for methodological improvement.
 

Creation level (creation prompt):

Design an examination task that requires students to create an original research design that investigates a memory phenomenon in cognitive psychology.

Example outcome:
Develop a complete experimental research design to investigate one of the following memory phenomena:
The generation effect (self-generated information is better remembered)
Context-dependent memory
Prospective memory in everyday life
Your research design should include the following elements:
Theoretical background with reference to relevant memory models
Concrete research question and hypotheses
Detailed methodological approach (sample, material, procedure)
Proposed methods of analysis
Discussion of possible results and their theoretical implications
Critical reflection of methodological strengths and weaknesses