Having decided on MCQs, attention then turned to forms of delivering the proposed test. Alternative methods of test delivery Pencil and paper. Computer assisted assessment. It was agreed that the amount of time required of staff to mark a pencil and paper test and prepare reports was not available, but that OMRs and CAA, being automated systems of marking, were possible solutions and should be evaluated. The use of OMRs is a possible mechanism for marking large numbers of MCQ tests.
Students check boxes on an answer sheet corresponding to their selected answer to a question.
The answer sheets are scanned by an OMR and compared with a correct version of the test. Computerised marks can be generated and sophisticated OMRs linked to a computer can provide statistical reports. Selecting computer based testing software Seminars by other CTI centres concerning assessment and in particular CAA 3 have been invaluable in providing opportunities to evaluate software. CAA products such as Question Mark , Assessor and Examine can all deliver tests to HE students. The first two are commercial products with consequent costs while Examine is an ITTI product and therefore available at minimal cost with a new version available soon.