“Seminar-Workshop on the Use of Table of Specifications”
26-September-2013, Thursday, @ 09:00am-2:00pm
Multi-Purpose Hall, Higher College of Technology, Al-Khuwair, Muscat
participated in by the Colleges of Technology
Acronyms/Mnemonics to Remember:
SMART – Specific; Measurable; Attainable; Relevant; Time-based
ABC – Audience; Behavior/Action Verb; Condition
HOTS – Higher-Ordered Thinking Skills
LOTS – Lower-Ordered Thinking Skills
ToS – Table of Specifications
Figure 1. Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning
"The instructional objectives will determine which teaching
strategies you are going to employ in class."
"The instructional objectives will determine which types of exams
you are going to give to the students."
Seminar-Workshop Notes
Page 1 of 8
“Seminar-Workshop on the Use of Table of Specifications”
26-September-2013, Thursday, @ 09:00am-2:00pm
Multi-Purpose Hall, Higher College of Technology, Al-Khuwair, Muscat
participated in by the Colleges of Technology
AVOID!
In writing instructional objectives, words or phrases such as know, think, appreciate, learn,
comprehend, remember, perceive, understand, be aware of, be familiar with, have knowledge
of, grasp the significance, are NOT measurable and should be avoided.
Seminar-Workshop Notes
Page 2 of 8
“Seminar-Workshop on the Use of Table of Specifications”
26-September-2013, Thursday, @ 09:00am-2:00pm
Multi-Purpose Hall, Higher College of Technology, Al-Khuwair, Muscat
participated in by the Colleges of Technology
DOMAINS OF OBJECTIVES AND EXAMPLES OF INSTRUCTIONAL VERBS
COGNITIVE DOMAIN (Note: verbs are not limited to those listed below. The list is endless!)
1.
Knowledge – Remembering previously learned materials. Require students to recognize a concept without
necessarily understanding, using or changing it.
Answers: Who? What? When? Where? questions
Cite
Label
Memorize
Reproduce
Define
Quote
Pronounce
Identify
Match
Recite
List
Name
Select
Arrange
Duplicate
Recall
Repeat
List
State
2.
Comprehension – ability to grasp the meaning of material. Require students to understand he concept
without necessarily relating it to anything else. The student must restate the concept in other words.
Rephrase
Substitute
Convert
Give examples
Represent
Summarize
Estimate
Extend
Describe
Generalize
Infer
Predict
Rewrite
Recognize
Express
Locate
Report
Review
Reword
Vary
Interpret
Paraphrase
Defend
Distinguish
Alter
Discover
Manage
Relate
Change
Depict
Give main idea
Restate
Translate
Illustrate
Classify
Indicate
Sort
Tell
Explain
Seminar-Workshop Notes
Page 3 of 8
“Seminar-Workshop on the Use of Table of Specifications”
26-September-2013, Thursday, @ 09:00am-2:00pm
Multi-Purpose Hall, Higher College of Technology, Al-Khuwair, Muscat
participated in by the Colleges of Technology
3. Application – ability to use learned material in new and concrete situations. Require the student to use a general
concept to solve a particular problem
Answers: How many? Which? What is?
Change
Compute
Demonstrate
Apply
Discover
Relate
Classify
Employ
Manipulate
Predict
Operate
Prepare
Produce
Show
Solve
Employ
Evidence
Manifest
Present
Utilize
Interpret
Dramatize
Practice
Illustrate
Schedule
Sketch
Choose
Direct
Use
Modify
4.
Manage
Analysis – ability to break down material into its component parts that its organizational structure may be
understood. Require the student to break something down into parts.
Answers Why questions.
Ascertain
Diagnose
Distinguish
Outline
Analyze
Break down
Differentiate
Discriminate
Divide
Point out
Associate
Examine
Reduce
Conclude
Find
Separate
Designate
Dissect
Infer
Determine
Outline
Relate
Select
Subdivide
Appraise
Calculate
Experiment
Test
Compare
Contrast
Criticize
Inspect
Debate
Question
Solve
Categorize
Seminar-Workshop Notes
Page 4 of 8
“Seminar-Workshop on the Use of Table of Specifications”
26-September-2013, Thursday, @ 09:00am-2:00pm
Multi-Purpose Hall, Higher College of Technology, Al-Khuwair, Muscat
participated in by the Colleges of Technology
5.
Synthesis- ability to put parts together to form a new whole. Require the student to produce something
unique or original
Answers how can we improve? What would happen if? How can we solve questions?
Categorize
Combine
Compile
Compose
Conceive
Create
Design
Devise
Develop
Expand
Extend
Originate
Generalize
Generate
Integrate
Invent
Modify
Organize
Plan
Pose
Propose
Project
Rearrange
Reconstruct
Reorganize
Revise
Set up
Synthesize
Theorize
Collect
Prepare
Formulate
Arrange
Assemble
Summarize
Construct
Plan
6.
Evaluation – ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose. Require the student to form
judgments and make decisions about the value of a concept.
Appraise
Assess
Compare
Conclude
Contrast
Criticize
Critique
Discriminate
Deduce
Evaluate
Explain
Justify
Interpret
Relates
Summarize
Supports
Judge
Weigh
Argue
Choose
Defend
Estimate
Predict
Rate
Score
Select
Value
Agree
Assume
Challenge
Seminar-Workshop Notes
Page 5 of 8
“Seminar-Workshop on the Use of Table of Specifications”
26-September-2013, Thursday, @ 09:00am-2:00pm
Multi-Purpose Hall, Higher College of Technology, Al-Khuwair, Muscat
participated in by the Colleges of Technology
Table of Specifications
Table of Specifications (ToS), sometimes called a Test Plan, is a test blueprint which is a twoway table that matches the objectives or content you have actually taught with the level at which
you expect students to perform. It covers the following: What is tested? How are the outcomes
and objectives linked with the topic? What were discussed and how much time was spent in each
topic? How many items/marks should be used given the amount of available time?
It is understood that there are variations of ToS formats across various educational institutions in
the world; however, at the Department of Information Technology, Higher College of
Technology, Muscat, below is the format that had been used based on the existing procedures,
guidelines, and forms being used and practiced by the department.
First Page:
Chapter
Learning
No. /
Outcome
Title
No.
Bloom’s
Actual
Instructional
Taxonomy
Time
Objectives
Cognitive
Spent
Level
(hh:mm)
Total
% of
Actual
Total
Time
Actual
Spent
Time
(hh:mm)
Spent
Number
Question
Total
of Marks
No.
Marks
To be
filled-in
later.
Total
Next Page:
Chapter No.
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
Total
[Total (%)]
[Total (%)]
[Total (%)]
[Total (%)]
[Total (%)]
[Total (%)]
[Total (%)]
Total
[Total (%)]
Seminar-Workshop Notes
[Total (%)]
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“Seminar-Workshop on the Use of Table of Specifications”
26-September-2013, Thursday, @ 09:00am-2:00pm
Multi-Purpose Hall, Higher College of Technology, Al-Khuwair, Muscat
participated in by the Colleges of Technology
How to Prepare the Table of Specifications:
1. Write the Chapter No./Chapter Title under the first column.
2. Indicate the LEARNING OUTCOME NO. that had been achieved under the second
column.
3. Write the INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES under the third column. This must be
exactly the same as what appears on the Course Material.
4. Identify the BLOOM’S TAXONOMY COGNITIVE LEVEL under the fourth column for
each instructional objective.
5. Specify the ACTUAL TIME SPENT for each instructional objective based on the actual
teaching hours. Use the format hh:mm. Also, Specify the TOTAL ACTUAL TIME
SPENT. These should be consistent on what had been written on the Course Follow-Up
Form.
6. Specify the % TOTAL TIME SPENT by dividing the TOTAL ACTUAL TIME SPENT
by the GRAND TOTAL TIME SPENT multiplied by 100 to get the % OF TOTAL TIME
SPENT.
7. Specify the TOTAL MARKS by dividing the % TOTAL TIME SPENT by 100
multiplied to the TOTAL NUMBER OF EXAM MARKS.
8. Distribute the TOTAL MARKS to the NUMBER OF MARKS column.
9. The QUESTION NUMBER column should be filled-in after the ToS had been approved.
This is because ToS is a tool used to prepare test questions. At this point, you do not have
created any test item yet. In other words, ToS is a blueprint of the exam paper.
Seminar-Workshop Notes
Page 7 of 8
“Seminar-Workshop on the Use of Table of Specifications”
26-September-2013, Thursday, @ 09:00am-2:00pm
Multi-Purpose Hall, Higher College of Technology, Al-Khuwair, Muscat
participated in by the Colleges of Technology
References:
[1] Bloom, B. S. ed. 1956. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals:
Handbook I: Cognitive Domain. New York: Longman.
[2] Department of Information Technology, HCT, Muscat, Table of Specifications.
Resource Speaker:
Seminar-Workshop Notes
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