While online testing shares many of the same preparation requirements as traditional paper-based tests, they now take different forms. Rather than making sure you have enough printed copies of a test, an evaluation of the viability of online testing should involve a review of a district’s ability to provide for sufficient online access within the schedule for administration.
For example, based on the number of computers and the network load, how many students can take the assessment during an exam period? Does the software restrict the number of concurrent users? Teachers likely will want the ability to create multiple forms of the test for security within the test administration. Can the application easily provide for this function?
The title of this presentation at the Washington DC Emetrics summit was: Creating a Data Driven Web Decision Making Culture - Lessons, Tips, Insights from a Practitioner. Although meant for corporations, the advice applies just as well to academic institutions. The goal here was to share tips and insights that might help companies move from just having lots and lots of data to creating cultures where decisions are made not on gut-feel, or the proverbial seat of the pants, but rather based on data.
