Abstract:

This paper reports on a study that is part of an overall programme of research that is investigating a relatively low-cost Computerised Adaptive Test (CAT) approach, the Flexilevel test (Lord, 1980). The aim of the programme is to examine the efficacy of the approach when compared to standard Computer Based Tests (CBT), and how well it may support the embedding of CAT assessments within educational experiences.

Formative assessment in general is a key component of educational experience design work, and if we are able to provide assessment that is equivalent in efficacy to standard CBT approaches, but with the benefits of a CAT, this would have implications for the student experience across a broad range of educational experiences, including the personalisation of learning environments, and enhancing the formative testing approaches available to us.

The Flexilevel Test is a type of Computerised Adaptive Test (CAT) that aims to tailor the level of difficulty of the items administered during a test to the proficiency level of individual test-takers. By comparison, in a traditional Computer Based Test (CBT), the same set of items is presented to all test-takers, regardless of their proficiency level.

In this paper, we report on the results of a study that compares the Flexilevel Test to a standard CBT. The results provide a basis for extending and applying the work, including embedding formative Flexilevel Tests in the curriculum to support the personalization of learning environments.

Given this, we also set out how this approach may adopted in relatively small-scale educational experiences particularly in terms of formative assessment strategies.

Keywords:

Flexilevel Test, online testing, formative assessment.