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e-Assessment
Feature
marking and late results delivery, which has also help reduce student anxiety as In short, we must reassess the present
disrupted students’ college and university candidates don’t have to spend weeks system and make it more relevant to the
admissions. The recent debacle of all music waiting on results, so decisions about way we learn.
GCSE papers having the results printed education or career ‘next steps’ can be
on the back of test papers reinforces the made swiftly and with confidence. An intelligent debate on the merits of on-
need for a more mature approach to exam screen formative and summative testing will
delivery and creation. reveal that, for a number of subjects, the
“On-screen testing
benefits of e-assessment are abundant and
On-screen testing allows for students should be accepted as a timely, efficient
to take formative practice tests, which allows for students and reliable means of checking that trainees
means they can get a feel for the test in
to take formative
are learning the curriculum and trainers
their own time and in an environment address and rectify any weaknesses. A
in which they’re comfortable. Research
practice tests, which learner should be trained on a certain
in 1999 (Bocij & Greasley) revealed subject, not just how to pass the test.
that practice formative tests improved
means they can get
students’ final marks by around 12 per
a feel for the test in
The dossier of evidence for ongoing
cent. Several factors may be attributed testing throughout a student’s career is
to this improvement, such as the ability
their own time and
building, particularly with more professions
for students to gain feedback on their
in an environment
embracing systematic Continuing
strengths and weaknesses for the ‘final’ Professional Development (CPD). Using
exam and the fact that they tend not to be in which they’re e-assessment can offer continuous
surprised by the exam format.
comfortable”
summative assessment, disperses the exam
season bottleneck of work for teachers
High security and markers, and can drastically reduce the
An issue that receives the same levels of risk of errors.
press attention as student anxiety is the Deceptive wins
security of examinations. Not only are The subject of cheating should be tackled E-assessment is proven as a successful
there moral questions raised by this subject three-fold; not only by preventing possible form of knowledge testing and a robust
but there are also questions around the fraudulent opportunities, (such as those exam process for professional and
validity and credibility of the tests taken mentioned above) but we must also vocational spheres (eg, legal, medical,
and, consequently, the accreditations and police cheating effectively and change construction), and it brings benefits
qualifications awarded. Every year, we hear both the students’ and trainers/teachers’ to examiner, student and educational
of more instances concerning marking mentalities on the subject. And for those organisation alike. Students can gain
inaccuracies, late delivery of papers or, that do slip through the security nets immediate feedback with insight into
embarrassingly, leaked papers. put in place, we have to make sure they their performance and exam timetabling
are dealt with accordingly. Anxiety and can be made more flexible.
The ramifications of this are a devalued validity are buzz words in the testing
national assessment system that is being arena, to which examination boards and As the world of work, and indeed
questioned by university admissions tutors, education authorities have always had to education and training, revolves ever more
education and training professionals, pay attention. Over-testing can saturate inextricably around the computer, it seems
teachers and employers. students, who become demoralised when a logical step that exam candidates learn
the system to which they have dedicated to use computers in the assessment of
E-assessment helps quash many of the so much time and effort has failed them. learning as well as the learning itself.
security breaches that we have seen
with traditional testing. Standardised,
thoroughly researched and pre-tested
questions make up ‘item banks’ for
each test, which can be updated at will
(for example, if there’s a change in the
subject matter, by legislation, which could
affect a response). Another benefit is
Geoff Chapman is EMEA Head of
that on-screen tests give instant results Communications at Prometric, a
with feedback and no data is lost or
recognised global leader in technology-
tampered with in transit. This is coupled
enabled assessment services, providing
paper-and-pencil, Internet and
with increasingly sophisticated electronic
computer-based testing solutions.
methods of comparing exam responses,
For more information visit
which can help search for inconsistencies www.prometric.com
or plagiarism. The instantaneous results
Learning Magazine
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