The Emerging Philosophy behind Computer-Based Assessment

The computer can play a role in several forms of assessment: diagnostic and self-testing, continuous and grading assessment. Automatic marking has many benefits for the human teacher: it is objective, fast, accurate, flexible and robust. The best test engines expect students to input mathematical expressions as answers, much as in a written examination. Over the last decade, many HCI issues in mathematical assessment by computer have been resolved. Students highlight as important the issue of partial credit if the computer is to grade their work fairly. This paper concentrates on the educational aspects of an assessment engine for mathematics.