| Multiple-choice assessment software is great | | | | some students will always be trying to outsmart |
| when it comes to saving time with grading time | | | | the rules of the examination room, especially if |
| and reporting, but some thought should go into | | | | the teacher isn't as computer confident and |
| the choice of which kind would be more easily | | | | familiar as some of them may be. Some students |
| used and adapted by the people in your institution. | | | | may also have an unfair advantage if they are |
| The set up and ease of use of these kinds of | | | | more confident with computers than other |
| software have their own implications which should | | | | students. Computer-based assessment systems |
| be carefully considered. | | | | can also be expensive to set up and maintain, |
| Computer-based online assessments. | | | | with many support contracts starting from 5,000 |
| If you are looking for an easier and automatic | | | | dollars per year. |
| way of creating and marking multiple-choice | | | | OMR Automatically Marked Paper-Based |
| assessments as part of computer-based | | | | Assessments. |
| assessment then a learning management system | | | | Traditional paper-based multiple-choice |
| is a good choice. With experience these types of | | | | assessments which are then automatically marked |
| assessments can be easy to use by students and | | | | using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) is a much |
| the assessments don't have to be printed on | | | | less expensive process to set up. In fact when |
| paper before hand. The exam's results are | | | | OMR software is used, your existing computer, |
| available immediately after the test has been | | | | printer and scanner can be used to design, print |
| taken and the storage of questions, past results | | | | and scan the assessment papers as well as |
| and student profiles are all kept in the one place. | | | | automatically mark them. Using OMR Software |
| Many educational institutions are now using this | | | | the assessment papers can be designed with |
| method of assessing students and many have | | | | traditional question / answer layout or with |
| found it to be beneficial, but it sometimes has it's | | | | separate sheets for questions and response |
| drawbacks such as the cost of setting up the | | | | sheets. Cheating by copying from other students |
| number of computers needed to perform such | | | | can be avoided by using banks of questions |
| assessments including extra computers needed in | | | | randomly taken and reordered when the forms |
| case any break down. Time is needed for making | | | | are printed. No student has an unfair advantage |
| sure every computer is in working order and | | | | over any other student or the teacher as it is |
| connected to the internet just before the | | | | more likely that each student has always done |
| assessment takes place, which could cause | | | | assessments this way therefore feel comfortable |
| disruptions to assessment timetables. | | | | with the process. |
| If a number of students are taking the test at | | | | There is always a hard copy of the exam paper |
| the same time powerful servers will be needed to | | | | for any inquiries into the results given and the |
| cope with the amount of information being | | | | time it takes to grade the papers can still be |
| entered into the system and another complication | | | | almost instantaneous, although the speed of the |
| would be created if there was ever a power | | | | processing of results would depend on the speed |
| outage or a server went down during the | | | | of your scanner. Other advantages of Optical |
| assessment. Cheating has always been a problem | | | | Mark Recognition Software is, it has a high |
| with any educational assessments therefore the | | | | accuracy rate when it comes to the automatic |
| set up of the computer room is important so | | | | marking of multiple-choice tests and only a small |
| that no student can see another student's | | | | amount of training and experience is needed to |
| computer screen. From past experiences with | | | | understand how the whole process works. The |
| paper-based assessments, known ways of | | | | assessments can be performed in any class room |
| cheating can be avoided by using certain rules in | | | | without having to schedule the computer |
| the examination room to try and overcome the | | | | assessment room and if there were any power |
| problem, but because computer-based | | | | cuts or computer failures, the examination |
| assessments are a relatively new application, | | | | wouldn't be interrupted. |