What is a Misconception Alert? How is it different from an incorrect answer?
A misconception is not simply an incorrect answer indicating one student’s struggle with a difficult concept. It is a persistent, hard-to-change misunderstanding among many students. Misconceptions can be excellent opportunities for instruction, but first they must be identified. By analyzing the answer patterns of hundreds of thousands of student responses, we’ve developed a mathematical model for identifying misconceptions. The end result: Misconception Alerts, which identify questions likely to represent a student misconception. By viewing questions with a Misconception Alert, you can pinpoint questions which represent significant student misconceptions. These misconceptions are a great source of material for clicker questions, classroom discussions, peer instruction, review sessions, and study materials.
