COMPUTER TESTING IN CONDITIONS OF DISTANCE LEARNING (ON THE EXAMPLE OF TEACHING RECORDS MANAGEMENT COURSES AT UNIVERSITIES)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25128/2415-3605.21.1.6Keywords:
computer testing, pedagogical method, academic honesty, records management courses, distance learningAbstract
The article is devoted to usage of the method of computer testing during distance learning on the example of records management courses. Testing as a pedagogical method has been characterized from different positions. Among its advantages, the author considers the best memorization of information and the teacher's ability to focus on important aspects of educational material, ensuring systematization and structurization of educational information, the speed and objectivity of assessing students' knowledge. Among the main shortcomings of testing the author regards involuntary memorization of incorrect answers, low interactivity, inactivity of the speech channel, impossibility to check students' way of thinking, failure to ensure the integrity of knowledge in case of incorrect application of the method. The author shows the polyfunctionality of testing as a pedagogical method, reveals the essence of its diagnostic, educational and formative functions. The article provides recommendations for the preparation of high-quality test tasks and highlights typical mistakes made by teachers creating them. These are unreasonably long questions and answers to them; abuse of factual material; usage of outdated or unverified information to compose tests; ambiguity of test questions / answers to them; offering of implausible answers to questions; introduction of secondary information in test questions; unjustified usage of highly specialized vocabulary; words of foreign origin, diffuse vocabulary; uneven coverage of course topics by tests and non-uniformity of test tasks. The author defends the importance of psychological and technical students' preparation for computer testing, suggests conducting briefings and trainings before final testing. The list of tips for preparing for computer testing has been proposed for students who had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the list of test tasks before an exam, and for those who did not have such an opportunity. Controversial issues have been raised related to technical settings for computer testing and academic integrity. Factors such as the complexity of a topic and test tasks in particular; the level of preparedness of the group; the number of consultations and lessons on a course; the awareness of students about the correct answers to the tests, as well as the familiarity / unfamiliarity of students with test tasks should be taken into account when the examiner determines the number of attempts to pass a final computer testing. Ways to reduce cases of academic fraud related to the usage of the computer testing method have been proposed.
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