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On their CV, how should an associate professor go about making a bullet point accomplishment that they "designed / wrote / created / produced" student exams? that is, devised several pages of questions (and corresponding answers) meant to test students' knowledge about the subject or sub-field.

How does this verb change for an assistant professor who serves a higher rank professor, but who was given lee-way or freedom to similarly also create/write exams from scratch as they see fit?

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    Maybe setting?
    – user2768
    Feb 17, 2021 at 13:09
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    Since it is a normal and expected activity of everyone, why do you think it needs space in the CV?
    – Buffy
    Feb 17, 2021 at 13:30
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    @Buffy Imagine you're an associate professor in discipline X at university A, applying for a full professorship in discipline X at university B. University B has its summative assessment in discipline X very heavily weighted towards closed-book, timed, on-site exams. Universities C, D, E, F, and G have no exams at all in discipline X, doing all the summative assessment through unlimited-time, open-book, take-home exercises. In that case, having experience of setting exams may be your key unique selling point for landing the job. Feb 17, 2021 at 22:32
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    It sounds like you are all calling it "setting exams"
    – user610620
    Feb 18, 2021 at 12:39
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    @DanielHatton I find it hard to imagine that having set exams would ever be the decisive factor in someone landing a professorship. This is information that, at best, belongs in a Teaching Portfolio, if your discipline or the specific job asks for one. Feb 19, 2021 at 1:41

2 Answers 2

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All that I really can say is what will not describe "creation of exams".

In some versions of English, "writing an exam" would mean "taking the exam" in other English. That is, being an examinee, rather than an examiner.

"Setting an exam" in some contexts is understood as "creating the exam", but seldom in the U.S.

It is not typical, but I'd think would be relatively clear in most versions of English, currently, to say "created exams" or "composed exams".

(Nevertheless, people looking at the CV would think, "hm, what? Of course. Why is this person mentioning this?")

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    "Writing an exam" would be understood in the US sphere of influence. "Setting an exam" would be understood in the UK sphere of influence. Feb 19, 2021 at 7:24
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A common model used for creating instructional materials is the ADDIE model. Its five phases are:

  • Analyze – Gather information about one's audience, the tasks to be completed, how the learners will view the content, and the project's overall goals.

  • Design – Write a learning objective, identify and break down tasks to be more manageable for the designer, then determine the kind of activities required for the audience in order to meet the goals identified in the Analyze phase.

  • Develop – Create the activities that will be implemented.

  • Implement – Test all materials to determine if they are functional and appropriate for the intended audience.

  • Evaluate – Use formative and summative assessment to assess the project's elements and revise them if necessary.

Use the verb that most accurately describes what you actually did. In your case, it might be "develop assessment instruments."

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    I haven't downvoted, but I suspect that overall very few people know or care of any model for creating instructional material and the label "develop assessment instruments" would be hardly understood. Feb 18, 2021 at 10:46

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