In his article "Accidence and Acronyms Deploying electronic assessment in support of classical language teaching in a university context" (click here for the article)
Richard Ashdowne describes the implementation of an internet-centered assessment within the classical languages program at Oxford University. The program he describes was implemented to replace an in-class paper based assessment that had been historically a part of the intermediate level Latin and Greek courses. Ashdowne reports that the program was largely successful, especially in improving efficiency in the use of class time.
The in-class assessment described in the article was given weekly at the beginning of the class meeting and reviewed immediately afterward, taking up valuable class time. The scores were recorded but not factored into the student's grade. The internet-based assessment that replaced it could be taken outside of class time with immediate feedback to the student and faculty upon completion.
There are several important factors to consider when moving to an internet-based assessment. Academic honesty in particular is a concern when assessments are given in an uncontrolled environment. The opportunity to consult both text books and other students is very real in these cases. Steps taken to prevent that include a time limit and randomized questions from a larger pool so that no two students are likely to receive the same test. With the type of assessment mentioned in Ashdowne's article, this is a sufficient enough response. It is, however, something to be considered. Another concern is the type of questions and answers that will make up the assessment. Multiple choice and matching questions can easily be automated, while responses that require students to input a response can be trickier, especially in dealing with languages that require accent marks and characters not found on a standard keyboard. The users at Oxford found a suitable solution to their needs.
On-line assessments can be a great benefit to both the student and teacher. Careful planning must go into the selection of the type of technology used for this purpose. If done well, however, they can free up class time, allow for instant and automated feedback, and allow the student to work according to his or her convenience.
