“Educational Technology Toolkit: A Consumer’s Guide”

Description

In this presentation, Scott Elliott will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of computer-based testing (CBT), and what it takes to make CBT successful.  Computer-based testing has potentially wide applications in undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education.  An early step in evaluating CBT is to be sure that the exam format is measuring the examinees’ knowledge and not their comfort level with the technology.  It is, therefore, important that the CBT reproduce or accommodate traditional test-taking behavior.  CBT also provides for a number of enhancements not easily achieved with traditional paper and pencil exams.  These include easier control and editing of exam items using and itembank, better incorporation of testing into the learning environment using specific feedback, and enhancing exam questions by incorporating multimedia.  In addition to traditional multiple choice and true-false questions, CBT can also offer different item styles including simulations, intelligent continuation, and long-menu, non-cueing question types.  Storing exam items (itembanking) in intelligent databases is becoming more popular.  Itembanks exist to help get exam items organized, hierarchically and statistically, and to eliminate “out-dated” and “haphazard” storage methods of the past.  Trends in itembanking now include features that track item and exam performance and provide a statistical prediction as to how an exam might perform.  Statistical analysis of exams is very important   to ensure acceptable item performance and exam reliability and validity.  As for resources, knowledgeable people who are committed to the success of the CBT program are critical.  Many different skills are necessary for successful CBT deployment, including database technology, instructional design, statistical expertise, and computer and networking expertise.