learning outcomes. Make sure that learners, before working through the
computer-based materials, know what will be assessed, when it will be
assessed and how it will be assessed.
11 Explore software that tracks learners. Many computer-based materials
can be used to track individual learners’ progress through them. This can
involve pre-testing and post-testing, and storing the data on the computer
system, as well as monitoring and recording the time taken by each learner
to work through each part of the package. Such data can be invaluable for
discovering the main problems that learners may be experiencing with the
topic, and with the package itself.
12 Seek feedback from your learners. Ask them what aspects of the package
they found most valuable and most important. Ask them also what, if
anything, went wrong in their own work with the package. Look at the
feedback you obtain for anything that throws light on particular categories
of learners finding difficulties with learning from the package (for example,
mature learners, or those with least time available to study, or people who
are uncomfortable with new technologies). Be sensitive to the needs of those
who may prefer not to work with a computer.36 Designing computer-delivered assessment elements
Computer-delivered assessment can be used to reduce the burden of some kinds
of routine marking of learners’ work. It can also be used to give learners
immediate feedback on their answers to structured questions. Some contem-
porary packages allow authoring facilities, so that you can add your own texts,
make assessment questions and input feedback, and decide what is to appear on
particular screens; many of our suggestions assume that you are working with
this type of software. We hope the suggestions will help you to see where computer-
delivered assessment could fit into your work.
1 Work out which areas of language may lend themselves to computer-
delivered assessment. Such assessment is possible where it is straight-
forward to design structured questions, particularly multiple-choice ones.
This requires there to be a correct (or best) option (referred to as the key),
and other incorrect (or less good) options called distractors.
2 Check carefully that the correct option really is correct. If there is
anything at all doubtful about the correct answer to a multiple-choice
question, the most able learners in particular are likely to be thrown. Also
check that there is not the possibility of one of the distractors being arguably
correct, too.
3 Look at the class exercises that you already use. Many of the written
exercises will contain elements which lend themselves to computer-
delivered assessment. It is particularly useful to consider packaging up68 500 TIPS FOR TESOL