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This research investigated procedures employed and problems encountered during the three system development phases of the computer-assisted testing systems at the University of Illinois, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Urbana-Champaign (SBMS-UC). Attention was given the functions of the testing system and the processes that perform these functions. Its purpose was to ascertain the operational implications from the administrator's perspective and to suggest guidelines for subsequent planning of a similar testing system.
The case study method was used to examine the historical development of the curriculum from which the testing system evolved, the current practices of both the internal and external functions of the operational system, the techniques used to evaluate the testing system, and the strengths and limitations of the SBMS-UC Examination System for making recommendations.
Sources of data included a content analysis of office reports, documents, professional papers and publications made available with cooperation of administrators responsible for the system. Additionally, notes and tape recordings from personal interviews with administrators were augmented. The descriptive nature of this investigation placed special emphasis on the transcripts from these interviews.
Research findings indicated that: (1) faculty gave very little support to the system; (2) due to underdevelopment of the present operating system, several functions are both inefficient and impractical; (3) because of the review process incorporated, the examination was viewed as effective; (4) a high percentage of students felt that information provided other than test results was useless; and (5) students showed concern for the use of a test format and scoring scheme different from the one they are most responsible for.
Within the limitations of the study, major conclusions were: (1) the system's perceived importance varies among faculty and differs from that of the staff members; (2) lack of control over the operating system can be a hindrance to system expansion; (3) the linear testing model offers no real advantages to the testing process unless it incorporates some extraordinary feature that makes using the conventional method difficult; and (4) the test format and scoring system are perceived by students to be inappropriate due to their irrelevance to more significant examinations.