Measuring e-readiness: A case study: Self-assessment vs performance testing

Measuring the impact of an ICT-skills intervention can be done in different ways. Typically, one would measure before an intervention and again after the intervention. In this paper the use of self-assessment questionnaires, as opposed to performance testing, is investigated and reported on. A self-assessment questionnaire was administered to 345 first year students entering Higher Education for the first time. Students were assessed before commencing the program: 25 questions, requiring participants to assess their own level of skill, to determine their e-readiness. A subgroup of 55 of these students were subsequently given 3 tasks to perform in a computer laboratory, to assess their e-readiness skills level. The efficiency, accuracy and reliability of the two methods were compared. It was concluded that, based on the efficiency, accuracy and depth of knowledge gained, self-assessment is a valuable tool.