E-assessment, Say Goodbye To Paper-based Test

For over a hundred years, paper-based test has been the only way to deliver robust, fit-for-purpose assessments of learning. At the advent of computer, e-assessment (Wikipedia definition, e-assessment is the use of information technology for any assessment-related activity.) will gradually get the better of paper-based test in teaching and learning. Is "paper-based test" still irreplaceable? NO. Just look through the following 5 questions, you will have the same answer.

Can you include multimedia objects in paper-based test?

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NO.
Letting a piece of paper play video and sound is absolutely impossible. At most, you can insert images to your paper, but the printing effects always disappoint you. E-assessment is different.
You will get it after you view this online multimedia quiz. You could insert music, narrations and animated images to testing to enrich the testing. Such multimedia quiz will encourage examinees to use their sense to interpret the words around them. In addition, such quiz is much more interesting and a good remedy to relieve nervous for examinees.

Can you lower cost in long term paper-based test?
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NO.
Suppose there are 1000 examinees to take a test, you should print 1000 more pieces of paper in paper-based test. If there is something wrong in the test paper, you will re-print 1000 more pieces of paper again. It is really a big waste of money yet time-consuming in long-term paper-based test. While, as to e-assessment, you make the quiz with some 3rd party quiz maker, only you should do is purchasing a quiz maker, creating a new quiz or correcting mistakes to made-quiz is as easy as take candy from a baby. Quizzes are reusable. No extra money required.

Does paper-based test as reliable as e-assessment in marking?
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NO.
For paper-based test, after exam finished, a squad of instructors would sit inside on a sunny Sunday afternoon, hand-marking each examination paper, while the administrative staff sorted them into piles according to scores, collating them with personal data in order to achieve gender and linguistic balance in each classroom. The staff would further type in class lists to be printed and posted for students to consult early Monday morning. E-assessment makes marking automatic. Take Wondershare Quiz Maker for example, after the student finished the test, the instructors could simply and rapidly track all quizzes, answers, scores and participants in details, and review statistics in easy-to-understand reports for quick insights through QMS (Quiz Management System, FREE online results reporting system) without any hassles.

Does paper-based test secure as e-assessment?
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NO.
In paper-based test, it is difficult to make sure the examination paper not to be betrayed. However, this makes easy for e-assessment. Many assessment tools have the option to set password for your test. At the same time, you could set the order of each option for all questions. So it is ideal to control the chance that students might cheat, all assessment candidates have an equal playing field to take the assessment.

Can paper-based test be taken at anytime and anywhere as e-assessment?
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NO.
Test is fixed at specific time and specific classroom in paper-based test.
In contrast, e-assessment makes test more flexibility at anytime and anywhere. Examinees aren't at school at the best time to take the placement test. They can take the test at work, home, the library, in a community learning centre or from their hotel in Japan, Taiwan, France, Italy, and dozens of other places around the world. In other respects, test could be tested at any time that is convenient - not just during the specific time that is set before the test.

Overall, e-Assessment is here, and is set to transform the way we examine. As people become more technology-friendly, e-Assessment will become more and more accepted as the method of choice for examination, e-assessment is the future.

The author is a senior expert in eLearning who works at Wondershare E-Learning department. Wondershare Software is an industry-leading learning and training software application provider. You could get more eLearning tool for your teaching and training, such as PowerPoint to Flash Converter, Quiz Maker and so on.