Asked what they saw as the greatest advantage of tandem testing, most students noted the reduced
anxiety. The chief disadvantage cited was the problem of the unprepared student, either the prospect of
being let down by your partner or the fear of not pulling your own weight. Some students noted that
tandem testing takes more time, but my students manage 40-50 items in a 50-minute period without
difficulty. One student complained, "It’s hard to know what to do when you and your partner don’t agree."
Exactly what I want them to learn!

My teaching methods may not change the nature of American society or higher education, but I am
convinced that my students are developing interpersonal sensitivity and collaborative skills that will serve
them well.

Carolyn Roth
Northern Virginia Community College

For further information, contact the author at Northern Virginia Community College, Woodbridge Campus,
15200 Smoketown Road, Woodbridge, VA 22191.

From "Tandem Testing" by Carolyn Roth, 1984, Network, The Newsletter for Psychology Teachers at Two-Year
Colleges, published by American Psychological Association.

 

 

Suanne D: Roueche, Editor
December 5, 1986, Vol. VIII, No. 29

INNOVATION ABSTRACTS Is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, EDB 348, The University of
Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512)471-7545. Subscriptions are available to nonconsortium members for $35 per year. Funding in
part by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and Sid W. Richardson Foundation. Issued weekly when classes are In session during fall and spring
terms and once during the summer.

* The University of Texas at Austin, 1986
Further duplication Is permitted only by MEMBER Institutions for their own personnel. ISSN 0199-106X