Integrated Computer-Assisted Assessment

This paper gives an overview view of an integrated computer-assisted assessment system which is being developed from a proven Optical Mark Reader-based activity. Over 20,000 summative and formative tests are administered per annum at Kingston University using an OMR system. A new web-based system is being piloted alongside the assessment module in the Blackboard learning management system which is currently being implemented across the university. The focus for the system is the question bank where objective questions are stored and manipulated. Tests may be set up in the bank in formats which are easily transferred for web-based or paper-based OMR assessment. The software incorporates a range of question styles and allows straightforward cutting and pasting of, for example, chemical structures from ISIS Draw and equations from Word. The web-based, interactive assessment module will be used primarily for formative assessment and will be complementary to the existing OMR-based activity. Interactive assessment may be used to provide feedback for self-testing if required but a unique feature of the new software is the optional use of a confidence scale which allows students to indicate how sure they are of their responses. The confidence scale particularly addresses issues of mis-information and guessing as well as gender bias. Assessment results are manipulated in the statistical analysis module. Reports and analyses are made available in electronic or paper versions as required and are also transferred back to the question bank archive both of which assist in the monitoring of question and student performance. This integrated approach draws on existing resources and extends the possibilities for computer-assisted assessment across the university. It also has the potential to enhance learning through the assessment process.