ED-MEDIA 1999 Proceedings Book - Association for the ...

- students can take it as an open-book, open-note examination, and
- the examination can be taken by a different person from the enrolled student.
It is suggested that students be required to arrange for an approved test proctor who follows
guidelines provided by the distance learning institution (Chute, Thompson, & Hancock, 1999).
Consequently, in many distance education programs, students must complete the examinations in a
proctored environment at a library or school, and proctors are usually teachers, school administrators, or
librarians who are selected by the student and approved by the distance learning institution (Moore &
Kearsley, 1996). However, sometimes it might be difficult to identify the qualifications of a proctor when
he or she resides in a remote state or in a foreign country. Furthermore, shipping and handling could be
time consuming due to custom check and wait between countries.
Alternative Evaluation Methods
Because students have the ability to collaborate with others if a test is not proctored, some
instructors use Web-based testing only for quizzes, but not for examinations. However, with the
permission of the instructor, such collaboration (students are working on these quizzes together) could be a
very positive cooperative learning activity (Chute, Sayers, & Gardner, 1997).
Instructors should consider evaluating a multiplicity of evidence of students' learning outcome,
such as participation, writing assessment, portfolio assessment, and teacher-based assessment (Harrasim,
Hiltz, Teles, & Turoff, 1997). Requiring students submitting multiple drafts of their work is another way of
checking their learning progress and reducing the chance of plagiarism.
While these non-traditional forms of testing and evaluation do not eliminate the possibility of a
student cheating, they reduce it to a level of insignificance (Moore & Kearsley, 1996).
Summary
Web-based testing software packages open an innovative way to delivering tests at a distance.
Without the kind of traditional test administration that requires the presence of a proctor checking students'
identification and watching for cheating, the integrity of the test cannot be maintained. It is important that
the faculty and administration responsible for distance education (1) be aware of the strengths and
limitations of Web-based testing software, (2) determine appropriate adoption of evaluation strategies that
best match the course goals and design, and thus (3) strive for an accurate, valid, and reliable assessment of
student learning performance or competency at a distance.
References
Chute, A. G., Sayers, P. K., & Gardner, R. P. (1997). Networked learning environments. In T. E. Cyrs
(Ed.), Teaching and Learning at a Distance: What It Takes to Effectively Design, Deliver, and Evaluate
Programs (pp.75-83). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Chute, A. G., Thompson, M. M., & Hancock, B. W. (1999). The McGraw-Hill handbook of distance
learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Harrasim, L., Hiltz, S. R., Teles, L. & Turoff, M. (1997). Learning networks: A field guide to teaching
and learning online. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Khan, B. H. (1997). Wed-based instruction. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.
Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (1996). Distance education: A systems view. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Porter, L. R. (1997). Creating virtual classroom: Distance learning with the Internet. New York: Wiley.
Saba, F. (Ed.). Future of post secondary education. Distance Education Report, 1 (1). [On-line].
Available: http://www.distance-educator.com/Gov.html
Acknowledgements
The author would like to gratefully acknowledge the support from Mr. Philip Carlock, Mr. Ken Turner, and
Belleville Area College.