Symposium for Teaching and Learning with Technology

During the 2007-2008 academic year, Penn State will be opening a testing center dedicated to the administration of computer-based classroom tests. Computer-based testing offers a unique opportunity for faculty members to innovatively assess student learning in their courses. Specific advantages of computer-based testing include the ability to provide instantaneous feedback to students regarding their performance, to create sophisticated item types which may use audio, graphical, and video components, and to utilize branching techniques, in which the student’s response to an item dictates the next item he or she receives. These features change the way that instructors and students interact during the process of assessment, providing the potential introduction of more individualized guidance and scaffolding. Computer-based testing can change the nature of testing from a one-shot, summative assessment to a more dynamic learning process which can simulate an individualized tutoring or training session. Advantages of using computer-based testing as a learning tool will be discussed in addition to challenges regarding this process, such as the difficulty with teaching problem solving.