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50 Years of ERIC
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ERIC Number: ED419552
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1998-May-6
Pages: 23
Abstractor: N/A
Reference Count: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
On-Line Assessment: What, Why, How.
Natal, Dottie
Recent increases in the speed and accessibility of computers and networks have made it possible to administer tests on-line. On-line assessment can be conducted in a controlled setting, such as a testing center, or distributed over local area networks or the Internet to libraries and student homes, allowing students the flexibility to complete tests as their schedules permit. While on-line tests can contain virtually any type of question, the easiest test to develop are true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice formats. Advantages of on-line tests include time savings for instructors and students, as well as increased learning opportunities for students in that the tests offer immediate feedback and do not take up class time. There are disadvantages to on-line testing for students, however, including the problem of procrastination, the lack of universal computer access and skills, and less flexibility in test-taking strategies. Disadvantages also exist for teachers, including problems with security and computer hardware, and issues related to "debugging" testing programs to ensure correct feedback and scoring. Tools for developing on-line tests include basic Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) with hyperlinked answers; HTML forms with Perl, CGI, or Personal Home Page (PHP) scripts to send feedback to students and commercial test development software. Sample HTML and PHP source code and test screen shots are included. (BCY)
Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Teacher; Reports - Descriptive; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Imagen Multimedia Corp., Lompoc, CA.
Identifiers: HTML
Note: Paper presented at the Technology Education Conference (Santa Clara, CA, May 6, 1998). Examples of tests from this paper can be found at http://www.imagenmm.com/testing/