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Learning Assessment Lab a valuable resource |
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The Learning Assessment Lab (formerly called the Testing Center) offers three basic services. The primary role of the lab, which is located in room 101 of the Gornto Center, is to proctor tests. The lab offers a quiet, secured environment where there is monitoring of the testing process. It also administers make-up exams. Instructors make appointments for their classes and for individual students. In keeping with appropriate proctoring, students must present legal identification. Typically, an instructor reserves a block of time for students to take the exams. If using a paper-based exam, the instructor needs to provide all of the necessary copies of the tests. With the increasing popularity of the lab, it is critical that instructors reserve time well in advance. According to university policy, the Learning Assessment Lab may not give finals. A second related service involves online, or computer-assisted, testing. Currently, there are 20 computer workstations where students can log in and take their tests online. The primary advantage of this approach is that the student gets immediate grading feedback. Depending on how the test is designed, the student can also get feedback on correct or incorrect answers. This online, or computer-assisted, type of testing acts as both an assessment tool and a learning tool. I have recently used the Learning Assessment Lab for my own class quizzes. I reserved a specific time, then worked with my assigned instructional designer and the lab manager to ensure that the test was online and that all of the students had unique identification and passwords. I tried this out because I wanted to understand more about the faculty experience. I included information in my syllabus, and I talked my students through the value of this kind of testing approach. The students took the quiz during the scheduled time. It provided them with flexibility and convenience, and I was able to give them an improved testing experience. So far, the students have had a positive response. I find it particularly valuable because: 1) the student gets immediate feedback; and, 2) I can build tests that explain the correct answer and refer the student to additional readings. The lab offers a third service involving several viewing stations, which allow students who have missed class to screen TELETECHNET broadcast classes. As part of this service, the lab also stores original tapes for the TELETECHNET classes. Since the first priority of the lab must be to maintain an environment suitable for proctoring, quiet is essential. Cell phones, food and drinks are not appropriate in a testing situation. Having traffic in and out related to the viewing stations also poses problems, especially when students are waiting in line to view the TELETECHNET videotapes. Additional pressures come from the sheer growth in use of the facility. For example, in the fall 1995 semester, the lab proctored 2,400 exams. In the spring 2001 semester, it proctored more than double that amount - 5,232 exams. Approximately 25-30 departments use the lab. Due to capacity, it can only serve 40 to 50 instructors per semester. In terms of storage, the lab stored approximately 1,377 videotapes for about 50 classes in fall 1995 semester. In the spring 2001 semester, more than triple that amount were stored - 4,212 tapes - for a little over 150 classes. In order to try to accommodate the growing demand and to improve access, the lab now has a cooperative relationship with the library, where students can also view tapes. This does require some organization on the part of the student. The student needs to make a reservation for the tape so that it can be transported to and picked up from the library. With this arrangement, the numbers of students served increased by more than 22 percent in one semester. As an example, in spring 2001, more than 832 individual students viewed videotapes in the lab and more than 300 viewed videotapes in the library. For more information about the Learning Assessment Lab, visit the Web page http://web.odu.edu/webroot/orgs/ao/clt/clt.nsf/pages/lalab. |
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