Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
In order for the session to start, each learner
uses the credentials previously created by the
instructor. Mr Smith uses the Live Chat service
to welcome all users to the training session and
presents himself. Then, each learner clicks on the
presentation and watches the videos. Some learn-
ers have questions and ask Mr. Smith. During the
course, Mr. Smith needs to send some extra docu-
ments to the class which are not included in the
presentation. He opens the My Documents service
and shares the documents with the whole class.
At the end of the training session Mr Smith
logs out of the system but some of the learners stay
connected to watch some of the videos again and
save the educational material on their usb drives
since the instructor gave them permission to do so.
easy and intuitive wizard-based method is intro-
duced in order for instructors to use them.
Multiple Choice Tests
Most LMS provide templates for multiple-choice
questions, true/false questions, matching ques-
tions, or short answer questions (Govindasamy,
2001). Multiple choice tests are an easy way of
assessment and evaluation. Nevertheless, it is also
a way for learners to check their learning progress.
To manage the creation of multiple choice tests,
Diplek incorporates services for question and test
creation, test delivery and test result analysis.
Instructors can create a number of questions with
the desired set of answers. Each question can
be given a difficulty level and can be included
in one or more tests; if the instructor permits it,
it can also be shared by other instructors on the
platform. When the test is ready, it can be assigned
to a learner or a group. Multiple choice tests can
be used both for assessment and self evaluation.
When a test is finished, a log file is created.
Instructors can view all available information by
using the test results analysis tool. Instructors have
access to information like the number of correct
answers, time needed to complete the test, answers
given by the learner, total number of tries for each
test and the total score.
Instructors have also access to test statistical
data. This data is collected for each test and can be
used for test quality evaluation. In simple words,
an instructor can see if a test is suitable for a group
or a learner and make the necessary changes so
that it fits the learning goals.
Multiple-choice questions, as all assessment
methods, have limitations and are suitable to
some content more than others. In the long run,
multiple choice questions are a quick and easy
way for the instructor to automate the evaluation
procedure. This automation saves instructors a lot
of valuable time which can be spent for helping
out the learners. This is not the only way used to
evaluate learner's progress.
LEARNERS' EVALUATION
AND ASSESSMENT
Byers (2001) describes interactive assessment
in learning environments as promoting dynamic
feedback and course adjustments on the fly. This
part of the platform measures learner performance
against specified goals, using a variety of services
ranging from multiple choice questions to complex
assignment handling. In order for instructors to
monitor the progress of learners, it is necessary to
provide services and tools for evaluation. Evalua-
tion is the procedure by which learners are tested
for their understanding of a certain subject. The
results of evaluation can show what difficulties the
learner encountered when studying this subject.
By having these data, the instructor can custom-
ize the learning path (learning material, course
presentations, tests, etc.) to the learners needs.
There are many ways for evaluating a learner's
progress - tests, projects and assignments are
commonly used. In order to cover most of these
evaluation methods, Diplek includes tools that
automate the above procedures. Due to the low
usage reported on these tools (Philips, 2006), an
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