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The Potential of Technology Assisted Student Assessment
Research into the development of technology based assessments contemplates many types of benefits that may be achieved through the development of computer-based strategies. These advantages include:
» A closer match between curriculum and instruction by enhancement of item types - simulations, models, use of motion and sound, etc.
» More extensive use of existing banks of items
» Greater precision of measures through capacity to adapt to student competency level
» Ability to measure learning outcomes currently not measured through paper and pencil
» Cost savings and increased reliability in marking
» Greater access for students through examination on demand
» Improved turnaround time, providing students immediate and personalized feedback and teachers with information for remediation and course planning
» Savings in shipping, handling, printing costs of print examinations
The following passages are excerpted from the WestEd report, Computer Based Assessment: Can it Deliver on its Promise? by Stanley Rabinowitz and T. Brandt, 2001:"Now, with computer-based assessment, comes the possibility of radically improving both how assessments are implemented and the quality of the information they can deliver. But as many states consider whether to embrace the new technologies - and as some already have - serious concerns remain about the fairness of the new systems and the readiness of states (and their districts and schools) to support them. This Knowledge Brief first describes the potential advantages of a fully implemented computer-based assessment system. It ends more cautiously, laying out a series of questions states must address as they consider the next generation of high-stakes assessment.
Technology is no stranger to assessment. In the middle of the last century, the rise of multiplechoice methodology for large-scale assessment was fueled heavily by the development of high-speed scanners. More recently, computer-adaptive models, where students are presented with questions tailored to their ability levels, have promised to make assessment more efficient and able to target the needs of individual students. But past advances pale compared to those of the last decade, which has seen a rapid increase in both the use and potential of technology to support assessment. On the hardware side, advances in the speed, capacity, and availability of computers allow applications that could only be imagined less than a generation ago. On the software side, developments in database structures, simulation technologies, and artificial intelligence models promise to dramatically improve the efficiency and capabilities of assessment administration, scoring, and reporting.
College admissions and certification programs have led the way in using the new computer-based technology. The success of these pioneers has caused businesses ranging from the major commercial testing companies down to one-product start-ups to spend millions on assessment-related research and development. Transferring the emerging technologies fully into the K-12 arena seems an obvious next step."
» Click here to download the complete 8-page report [It's a 200 kb PDF file].
A Future in the Process of Arrival (2005) by Dr. Alan Taylor, presents an overview of the latest computerized assessment programs, with special emphasis on their potential to revolutionize learning processes in Canadian schools. Based on a survey of provinces and territories and cutting-edge developments in other education systems, Taylor‰s analysis of the assessment landscape offers important direction for educators and system leaders. The research points to significant savings in costs and time that are made feasible by testing technology. For teachers and students, the potential benefits include assessment ëon demand‰, instant feedback, and the capacity to adjust questions to student ability and measure skills impossible to capture with pencil and paper. British Columbia was found to be the most advanced Canadian province in the use of online assessment.
» Click here to download the complete 114-page report [It's a 2.5 mb PDF file].
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