Uses of ICT in assessment

Ward Educational Consulting draws on more than 15 years experience in the application of ICT to assessment, with a thorough understanding of the advantages and limitations of transferring testing to computers and of the assessment, software, security and organisational issues involved.

Christine Ward is a member of the BSI Panel for BS7988, A Code of Practice for the use of Information Technology for the Delivery of Assessments and of the Advisory Group for the Loughborough International CAA (Computer Assisted Assessment) conference

Examples of projects undertaken:

· Advice to a professional body in the financial services sector on the introduction of e-assessment, including selection of technology partner, training item writers and item editing (2007-08)

· Seminar for awarding bodies on ‘Choosing an e-assessment package’ (Federation of Awarding Bodies, 2006)

· Advice to a major company in the financial services sector on implementing computer delivered objective testing, including training of item writers, item editing, advice on analysis ((2004-05) See Case Study on Questionmark website

· Participation in PepCAA, a European project to develop formative computer assisted assessment on psychology for teachers 2002-04 (FIM (University of Erlangen) for European Commission under Minerva programme)

· Co-author, Crisp V and Ward C, The PePCAA project: Formative Scenario-based CAA in Psychology for Teachers, presented at 9^th International Computer Assisted Assessment Conference at Loughborough, July 2005 – see www.caaconference.com

· Contribution to thinking on statistical analysis requirements for European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL Foundation, 2003)

And (during employment with Guildford Educational Services Ltd)

· Evaluation of vendors' systems for delivery of online tests (LCCI, 2002)

· Pre-procurement study of vendors able to supply e-marking services (to scan handwritten test scripts and deliver them on-line to markers) (QCA, 2001)

· Drafting of BS7988, A Code of Practice for the use of Information Technology for the Delivery of Assessments (BSI, 2001)

· Manager of project to evaluate the computer-delivered assessments resulting from 18 pilot projects in the SOCRATES and LEONARDO programmes (European Commission, 1998; further evaluation in 2001)

· Project for Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to investigate the potential for using information and communications technology in public examinations (1997-8 with an update in 1999 and a further project to investigate the impact of ICT based assessment on learning in 1999-2000)

· Project manager of EC-funded LEONARDO project on Computer Assisted Assessment in the Workplace, January 1996 to April 1999 and follow-up Multiplier project 1999-2001

· Exploratory policy study on Codes of Practice (subsequently changed to Guidance) for awarding bodies, software developers and centres involved in Computer Assisted Assessment (Employment Department, 1993-5)

· Compilation and publication of a Directory of Computer Assisted Assessment Products and Producers (Employment Department, 1993)

· Major survey of national potential for use of Computer Assisted Assessment in the assessment of NVQs (Employment Department-TEED, 1991)

Contributor to a number of conferences and seminars on Computer Assisted Assessment, including for NCET (two events in 1994), FEDA (1996), Association for Learning Technology (1997), Fifth European Congress of Psychology (1997), EU/World Bank conference organised by the Institut de la Méditerranée (1998), Further Education Research Association (1999).