September 1996 — Editorial

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Courseware, Assessment and Evaluation

by Dr. Sylvia Charp Editor-in-Chief Courseware, Assessment and Evaluation Whether we are in K-12, higher education or training, we are always looking for better software and assessment tools to assist students to think, solve problems, organize, synthesize and communicate. We also want to create an environment that generates excitement about learning and a desire to learn more. We can see this happening. For example, we can observe: Courseware and software tools have substantially improved and are more easily accessible. The improving capabilities of telecommunications and multimedia systems are providing opportunities for producing material more interesting to the learner. The new technologies are more exciting to students and are having a positive effect on learners. Technology funds are not only devoted to equipment and technical staff but a portion is being set aside for faculty who wish to take advantage of the Web/Internet and multimedia. Web-based courses are being created. They range from the simple presentation of lecture notes and exercises to whole interactive teaching packages. Sharing of ideas between teachers, teacher and students, and among students is encouraged. Customized feedback to an individual's activities, with students commenting on and evaluating each other's work, has increased. New Tools for Assessment Development of new assessment techniques is expanding. Basic assessment tools are usually defined in quantitative terms: standardized tests; objective tests designed to measure outcomes of specific courses; criteria-referenced tests; and measures developed to demonstrate comprehension, recall or some other skill.
Computerized tests have been in existence for a number of years. For example the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the test students take to get into graduate school, has been computerized since 1992. Adaptive testing, in which the test itself "adapts" and changes as the taker answers each question, providing easier or more complex questions as required, is in greater use. Performance-based testing, for "on the job" evaluation, is accepted and provides valid measurements. Use of profiles and portfolio assessment is growing. In a recent study conducted in Vermont, the Rand Corp. concluded that the effects of portfolio assessment on instruction were "substantial" and "positive." In another sign of the times, all teacher education graduates of Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash., leave with a diskette which states, among other things, their academic accomplishments, student teaching experiences, their educational philosophy and comments on teaching pedagogy.

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