Taking test online is completely a new thing to me...Of course I do not familiar with it and feel awkward at the first time. Frankly, I do not have a positive attitude towards using computer in the classroom. I feel awkward as for me I don't get the privacy that I really want as if in traditional-paper-and-pencil test. In this traditional way I usually try to do my very best. But, not in this online testing because I don't feel the pressure in doing it. Obviously, online test at last provides me a very comfort and relaxing environment compared to traditional test. I don't know why I feel that way as most researches indicate that online testing or even learning is really helpful as well as give the students opportunity to work on their on pace. Perhaps, it just happened to me and trusts me that I am saying the truth and this is what I really feel.Below result is my score for the online quiz. I do not score very well. I confess that my ICT knowledge is very little and furthermore the quiz was in Malay language. I have no problem with the language but when it concerns about Malay language and ICT, it is something weird for me as I am not very familiar with most of the terms used. Just to give an example. There is a question about ‘perkakasan’ which is I really thought it means ‘furniture’ in English. However, when I refer to my lecturer, it is ‘equipment’. Perhaps I need a translator to answer those questions or maybe they should provide bilingual questions for the test takers to choose as most ICT course nowadays is conducted in English. However, what I would like to praise is the ability of the test to provide immediate feedback. It is awesome! The feedback or the result is not only fast but also accurate. But, it would be better if the feedback let us know where the questions we make mistake and the correct answers so that we can learn from mistake. In addition, as randomization is one of the features of online testing, ‘Uji ICT’ does provide a very good randomization as we can choose or jump which question we want to answer. On the other hand, when we concern about the security features, before we can access into the online test we have to key in our username and password. This means only UKM staff and students can access into it as it needs the password.
Quiz Results SummaryYour #Attempts : 1Total Class #Attempts : 390Your Quiz Score : 19/30Your Average Score/#Attempts: 19Your Highest Score Ever : 19
Personally, Language for ICT has brought a huge invention into my life. From zero knowledge about ICT, now I have the confidence to say that I am better and always progressing from the first week until the end of the course. It really improves my ‘slow-motion’ typing skill as well as writing skill. The course is really informative and I give it 9! The only thing that I feel is lack is with this course is the ‘OLT Book’ that is used as this course reference. For me, it is not suitable. The reference book should be a kind of book that really tells and explains to us some terms that we really don’t understand because there are too many terms presented during the lectures on even tutorials that make us confused. I am not the only person who thinks that the book is not suitable but most of my friends said so. That means the practical of this course may be delivered successfully but the theory is not successfully delivered. Finally, I will still keep my blog as I feel proud of myself that I could manage to produce a blog with six postings of my own writing because before this I don’t even know what is a blog and this will of course drag me to continue blogging even after the course.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Computer-Assisted Language Testing: Does it really 'test'?
“Learning the English language will reinforce the spirit of nationalism when it is used to bring about development and progress for the country….True nationalism means doing everything possible for the country, even if it means learning the English language”.
(Mahathir, 1999)
Mastering the English language is a significant policy that has affected educators. Many policies have been done to make us master the English language. Computer-assisted language learning has been introduced in order to enhance our English. Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) supports that both language learners and instructors have generally positive attitude towards using computers in the classroom. However, less is known about a more specific area of computer use that is language testing.
Test that are administered at the computer terminals or on personal computer are called computer assisted tests. Computer-assisted language testing (CALT) includes any use of the computer that aids in the testing process. The assistance may be in form of test-item generation, test delivery, scoring, recording, reporting results, providing feedback to examinees, and the like.
In UKM, an online test can be accessed anywhere in the campus. The concept of K-campus is to establish a knowledge-centric e-campus whereby a web-based system is used to facilitate education knowledge and resource services for the campus community and stakeholders. In addition, LearningCare Assessment module allows the portfolio owners to create and manage questions. All the questions and results of test takers are kept in a database built in the system. The questions can be programmed in several forms, which are:
· Fill in the blanks
· True and false
· Multiple-choice
· Multiple answer
· Matching
· Ordering
· Short essay
Randomisation of questions and shuffling of the questions, which are the basic principles of online testing are provided in the system. Moreover, more sophisticated technology are suggested to be given such as voice recognition and automated oral and written essay marking capabilities. Basically, the experience in developing and conducting the online test for the UKM academicians so that profiling of their language proficiency can be conducted for the purpose of placement of English training modules is very valuable indeed.
Computer-assisted language testing has its own advantages that make it effective to facilitate the language learning. Among the testing considerations, the followings are some advantages of using computer in language testing:
Computer are much more accurate at scoring selected-response test and reporting scores than human beings are.
Computer can give immediate feedback in the form of a report of test scores, complete with a printout of basic testing statistics.
The use of different test for each student minimizes any practice effects, studying for the rest and cheating.
Diagnostic feedback can be provided very quickly to each student on those items answered incorrectly if that is the purpose of the test. Such feedback can even be fairly descriptive if artificial intelligence is used.
Among the human considerations, the followings are some advantages of using computer in language testing:
· Allow students to work at their own pace
· Generally, take less time to finish than traditional paper-and-pencil-test and therefore more efficient.
· Students should experience less frustration because they will be working on test items that are appropriate for their own ability levels.
· Less overwhelming because the questions are presented one at a time on the screen rather that in an intimidating test booklet with hundreds of test items.
New field of computer-assisted language testing is computer adaptive tests. Computer-adaptive language testing is subtype of CALT. It has three additional characteristics, which are:
The test items are selected and fitted to the individual students involved
The test is ended when student’s ability level located
Usually, relatively short in terms of the number of items involved and the time needed
Without a doubt, I just feel that we are in the middle of a technological paradigm shift, one will eventually change the way instructors teach and students learn. The electronic tools must be used to design instructional and assessment models that can strengthen students language awareness, enhance their language competences as well as develop theirselves evaluating mental abilities.
(Mahathir, 1999)
Mastering the English language is a significant policy that has affected educators. Many policies have been done to make us master the English language. Computer-assisted language learning has been introduced in order to enhance our English. Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) supports that both language learners and instructors have generally positive attitude towards using computers in the classroom. However, less is known about a more specific area of computer use that is language testing.
Test that are administered at the computer terminals or on personal computer are called computer assisted tests. Computer-assisted language testing (CALT) includes any use of the computer that aids in the testing process. The assistance may be in form of test-item generation, test delivery, scoring, recording, reporting results, providing feedback to examinees, and the like.
In UKM, an online test can be accessed anywhere in the campus. The concept of K-campus is to establish a knowledge-centric e-campus whereby a web-based system is used to facilitate education knowledge and resource services for the campus community and stakeholders. In addition, LearningCare Assessment module allows the portfolio owners to create and manage questions. All the questions and results of test takers are kept in a database built in the system. The questions can be programmed in several forms, which are:
· Fill in the blanks
· True and false
· Multiple-choice
· Multiple answer
· Matching
· Ordering
· Short essay
Randomisation of questions and shuffling of the questions, which are the basic principles of online testing are provided in the system. Moreover, more sophisticated technology are suggested to be given such as voice recognition and automated oral and written essay marking capabilities. Basically, the experience in developing and conducting the online test for the UKM academicians so that profiling of their language proficiency can be conducted for the purpose of placement of English training modules is very valuable indeed.
Computer-assisted language testing has its own advantages that make it effective to facilitate the language learning. Among the testing considerations, the followings are some advantages of using computer in language testing:
Computer are much more accurate at scoring selected-response test and reporting scores than human beings are.
Computer can give immediate feedback in the form of a report of test scores, complete with a printout of basic testing statistics.
The use of different test for each student minimizes any practice effects, studying for the rest and cheating.
Diagnostic feedback can be provided very quickly to each student on those items answered incorrectly if that is the purpose of the test. Such feedback can even be fairly descriptive if artificial intelligence is used.
Among the human considerations, the followings are some advantages of using computer in language testing:
· Allow students to work at their own pace
· Generally, take less time to finish than traditional paper-and-pencil-test and therefore more efficient.
· Students should experience less frustration because they will be working on test items that are appropriate for their own ability levels.
· Less overwhelming because the questions are presented one at a time on the screen rather that in an intimidating test booklet with hundreds of test items.
New field of computer-assisted language testing is computer adaptive tests. Computer-adaptive language testing is subtype of CALT. It has three additional characteristics, which are:
The test items are selected and fitted to the individual students involved
The test is ended when student’s ability level located
Usually, relatively short in terms of the number of items involved and the time needed
Without a doubt, I just feel that we are in the middle of a technological paradigm shift, one will eventually change the way instructors teach and students learn. The electronic tools must be used to design instructional and assessment models that can strengthen students language awareness, enhance their language competences as well as develop theirselves evaluating mental abilities.
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