The assessment of learning in large online courses requires tools that are valid, reliable, easy to administer, and can be automatically scored. We have evaluated an online assessment and learning tool called Knowledge Assembly, or Knowla. Knowla measures a student's knowledge in a particular subject by having the student assemble a set of…

The use of timed, essay examinations is a well-established means of evaluating student learning in higher education. The reliability of essay scoring is highly problematic and it appears that essay examination grades are highly dependent on language and organisational components of writing. Computer-assisted scoring of essays makes use of language…

A significant challenge in higher education is to narrow the educational attainment gap between academically prepared and unprepared students. To this end, developmental or remedial education is intended to improve the academic skills and knowledge of students who are unprepared for undergraduate coursework, particularly in the areas of…

A computer analysis of the compositions written by university students with (N=30) and without (N-60) learning disabilities (LD) found LD students were not as fluent in word production and in the number of different words used but did produce longer sentences and T-units than nondisabled peers. (DB)

The utility of computer analysis in the assessment of written products was studied using the WordMAP software package. Data were collected for 92 college freshmen, using: (1) the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE); (2) the English Composition Test of the College Board; (3) verbal and mathematical Scholastic Aptitude Tests; (4) two narrative…

Suspecting that computer assisted instruction (CAI) could help teach grammar to freshman composition students at Northeast Missouri State University (NMSU), three instructors received a research grant to begin a program of testing basic writing skills and to initiate CAI instruction for those students who needed help in the tested areas. A survey…

Explores plausible differences in composing processes when English as a Second Language (ESL) students write timed-essays on paper and on the computer. Examines the way in which the quality of the written products differs across paper and computer modes. Reveals that individual participants are engaged in different ways and to differing degrees by…

MARC (Methodical Assessment of Reports by Computer) is a report-marking program which enables teachers to provide individualized feedback on reports written by engineering students. The MARC system is objective in its consistent application of the same programed criteria, but also allows individual markers to supply their own comments as required.…

Reviews a program being developed for college freshmen by Educational Testing Service for microcomputer-based instructional diagnostic testing in three areas: (1) written communication skills, (2) reading and study skills, and (3) mathematics. The system's interactive feedback is described as well as student's reactions to the system. (LRW)

Based on the premise that teaching basic writing involves first understanding what tends to go wrong when students write, a computer assisted system of error prediction and analysis was designed to improve college students' writing skills in both English and French. Students were to complete a sequenced series of writing assignments first in…

To provide an objective statement of how a wide range of students at the University of Texas at El Paso performed on a test measuring verbal basic skills, a computerized analysis of variance compared group mean scores on a test of basic skills competence for 1,553 students in 6 groups, including graduating seniors and students in 4 levels of…

Concerned with the failure of multiple choice tests to measure composition--as opposed to grammar and usage--skills, college researchers studied the value of using writing samples to place students in composition classes. Evaluating the writing samples of 300 incoming freshmen, they did not find a high correlation between sample scores and…

Describes an experimental program of interactive assessment and instruction called GUIDES to Learning and Instruction, which is designed for use in college level remedial and developmental programs in writing, reading, and study skills. Highlights include microcomputer administration of measurement; response formats; feedback; validity for…

This paper reports on Educational Testing Service research studies investigating the parameters critical to reliability and validity in both the direct and indirect writing ability assessment of higher education applicants. The studies involved: (1) formulating an operational definition of writing competence; (2) designing and pretesting writing…

This publication contains 19 refereed research papers, 2 innovative instructional practices papers, 2 presentations on works in progress, and 3 papers on research training on promoting excellence in research and teaching for business. The research papers are "Business Demands for Web-Related Skills as Compared to Other Computer Skills"…