| Abstract: | One of the benefits claimed for computer-based assessment is that it can improve student performance in summative assessments. During the introduction of computer-based assessment in a first-year module on numeracy and statistics in Biology, online assessment was used to replace OMR-marked multiple-choice tests. Analysis of student results after the first year (Ricketts & Wilks, 2001) showed that students using online assessment did not perform as well as those using OMR-marked multiple-choice questions. The difference in performance could not be attributed to a weaker student cohort. In the second year student performance improved dramatically when they were not required to scroll through the question paper. Our results suggest that students may be disadvantaged by the introduction of online assessment, unless care is taken with the student-assessment interface. |
