The recent National Students Survey showed that feedback to students was an ongoing problem in Higher Education. This paper reports on the extension of our past research into the provision of automated feedback for objective testing. In the research presented here, the system has been further developed for marking practical and essay questions and…

Indices were constructed to measure individual differences in the effects of the automated testing format and repeated testing on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) responses. Two types of instability measures were studied within a data set from the responses of 150 undergraduate students who took a computer-administered and…

Describes the modification of an already existing computer-assisted testing system at the University of Mississippi School of Health Related Professions to include test questions of the matching variety. (JJD)

The Multi-Digit (MDT) testing procedure is a computer-scored testing innovation conceptualized in 1982. It is fully compatible with multiple choice and true/false tests well suited for the testing of discreet terms and concepts such as in fill-in-the-blank examinations. The student reads the question and selects the appropriate response from an…

Compares the use of computers with traditional paper and pencil to deliver objective tests for summative assessment with undergraduates in the United Kingdom. Considers issues of gender differences, objective testing, computer anxiety, and benefits to staff and students, and recommends the need for pre-test preparation and practice testing.…

Concludes that the Multi-Digit Test stimulates better retention than multiple choice tests while offering the advantage of computerized scoring and analysis. (FL)

Describes the practical workup of a multiple choice examination system in electrical engineering. Discusses some of the pedagogical advantages obtained by statistical handling of the data. Provides some examples of items. (TW)

Seven formats of educational testing were compared for student test preferences and how well each evaluated learning. The formats were: (1) true/false; (2) multiple choice; (3) matching; (4) MDT Multiple Digit Testing, in which a machine scores fill-in-the-blanks; (5) fill-in-the-blanks; (6) short answers; and (7) essay. A total of 1,440 survey…

The use of optical scanners and computers in educational testing is common where objective testing methods (such as true-false, matching, and multiple-choice items) are well-established means of evaluating educational achievement. Where non-objective testing methods (such as fill-in-the-blank, short-answer, and essay items) have been more common,…

Seven formats of educational testing were compared according to student preferences/perceptions of how well each test method evaluates learning. Formats compared include true/false, multiple-choice, matching, multi-digit testing (MDT), fill-in-the-blank, short answer, and essay. Subjects were 1,440 university students. Results indicate that tests…

The combinational-format item (CFI)--multiple-choice item with combinations of alternatives presented as response choices--was studied to determine whether CFIs were different from regular multiple-choice items in item characteristics or in cognitive processing demands. Three undergraduate Foundations of Education classes (consisting of a total of…

The development of innovative test item types that use multimedia technology to improve item authenticity and interaction and allow for objective scoring through partial-credit scoring methodologies was studied. Science test items were developed for community college developmental students using "Authorware 3.0," an instructional compact disc. The…

In addition to the usual drawbacks of large enrollment college classes such as impersonal atmosphere, discouragement of questions, and insensitivity to individual differences, the testing methods that tend to be associated with large classes can be detrimental to the learning process. Objective tests decrease the level of intellectual mastery…

Test scores were compared for two types of objective achievement tests--multiple choice tests and the recently developed Multi-Digit Test (MDT) procedure. MDT is an approximation of the fill-in-the-blank technique. Students select their answers from long lists of alphabetized terms, with each answer corresponding to a number from 001 to 999. The…