Effect of administration method on student performance on multiple-choice/multiple-response items

Multiple-choice/multiple-response (MCMR) items (i.e., multiple-choice questions for which there may be more than one correct response) can be a valuable tool for assessment. Like traditional multiple-choice/single-response questions, they are easy to grade; but MCMR items may provide more information about student reasoning by probing multiple facets of reasoning in a single problem context. Because MCMR items are infrequently used, best practices for their implementation are not established. In this paper, we describe the administration of MCMR items on an online, research-based assessment. We discuss possible differences in performance on MCMR items that may result from differences in administration method (in-person vs. online). This work is presented as a potential first step toward establishing best-practices for the administration of MCMR items on online assessments.