Assessment in Large Classes through a Secure Online Assessment System

Project Overview

Project Title

Assessment in Large Classes through a Secure Online Assessment System

Project Leader

Prof Surendra K Mansinghka

School / Dept

SBM / FINA

Project Duration

Sept 2002 - Aug 2004

Project Description

Continuous assessment lets students keep track of their study; and the faculty can give timely feedback on their progress. For a class of 700 students, they can only be assessed continuously with online tools. Although practice in several FINA courses using WebCT proved the method effective, it was unsuitable for examinations as it could not prevent students from cheating. Therefore this project proposed to develop a secure online assessment system (SOAS) which was equipped with elements hindering students’ communication with others, as well as the downloading or printing the questions. The system recorded each student’s login and logout. Their submissions were processed automatically and results were saved in a database, which instructors and students could access. The system also supplied instructors with a test item bank so that they could design a new test easily. Finally, it provided timely feedback to the teacher and the learner on the latter’s progress so that both parties may improve.

Project Outcome

With the assistance from CELT, a secure environment for online assessment that would prevent any unauthorized communication was created. The response activities from student during the assessment was logged and reviewed by instructors.

Status

Completed

Project Documents
(Only accessible by HKUST users)

Adaptation

Full Project