1.2.5. Tests

Test can take the form of an informal quiz or a strictly monitored examination, where admission is by reservation only.
There are two major ways to incorporate computers in the testing process:

to use the computer as an aid to construct the test

to use the computer to administer the test

Computerized Test Construction. The computer can store the questions in pools or banks that can be accessed later whenever test are needed. The students then record their answers on machine-readable forms for computerized scoring

There are many alternative ways to assemble questions into test form. If the questions are permanently stored, it possible to try out each of these alternatives to determine which is the most appropriate.

The idea "computers can be used to construct tests" inspire extending the idea of large pools of questions into a larger context. Schools or instructors create a sharing pools

Computerized Test Administration. The student sits in front of a computer terminal and enters directly into the computer answers to questions that appear on the screen.

To a great extent the types of questions that can be asked successfully are restricted to those either of the multiple-choice or short answer format. Questions requiring extended or open-ended responses are difficult to judge by computer.

Assessment, the fourth phase of our instructional model, is essential aspect of all instruction. It is used a variety of purposes:

Determining what student knows and does not know

Rank ordering students in terms of performance

Deciding who should be employed

Assigning grades

Admitting to college

Diagnosing mental problems

  1.3 Developing A Plan For Effective Use Of CAI?

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The amount of effort required to develop and implement a CAI plan depends to a great extent on the scope of the undertaking and available resources.
Your steps necessary to achieve the most extensive CAI goals are following:

Steps	Explanations
Assessment of Needs	Needs assessment may require the development of a lengthy questionnaire to determine such things: students and departments’ willingness to participate in such activities – Fields that are most supportive – the particular topics that could be effectively enhanced through CAI , the resulting amount of training required to bring participants to the necessary skill level.
Identification of Courses, Topics, and Students	From the need analysis will come the data relevant to selecting courses for CAI involvement, topics to be subject of CAI courseware, and the number of students involved.
Development of Objectives	Specific objectives should be identified for the use of CAI. Outcomes in terms of student achievement and attitudes should be measurable quantitatively.
Courseware Selection	Identify the available courseware that meets the objectives. The existence of the materials will, by default, determine whether or not drill and practice, tutorials, or simulations will be used, which topics can be used for CAI, and so on.
Hardware Selection	Generally, computers of specific types are already available. This factor alone will restrict the selection of courseware, since materials written for one brand of computer will not function on another brand.
Integration of CAI into the Classroom	Until very recently, a great deal more attention was paid the development of materials than how the CAI materials could be best used to enhance the particular learning situation. The CAI materials should not be used as an extra materials which had not been required in previous terms. So the entire matter should be considered carefully, and an outline of how the topic is to be handled should be included in the overall plan.
Management Issues	How many computer are required for the course? Where will the computers be housed? What hours will be computers available? Will student assistant or staff be available to assist with their use? Who will be responsible for the software?....
Evaluation	Obtain quantitative measures of student achievement and attitudes both prior to beginning, close and end of semester following the use of materials.

You should acquire further information about CAI as an effective learning device in support of classroom activities from the books, newspaper, and magazines as well as personal visits.

It was suggested that time be spent experimenting with computer. It was indicated that a continuation of such experimentation for at least one or two semesters would be helpful.