Potential of knowledge discovery in automated test assembly

Abstract

In the academic environment, acquired student's knowledge is usually assessed through paper-pencil or computer based tests. Testing is usually done several times during the academic year. Assembling a test that estimates students' knowledge requires significant examiner’s effort and time invested. While assembling a test, examiner has to be objective, to provide consistent and reliable tests during the whole year. Automating the procedure can facilitate the process to the examiner and improve objectivity, consistency and reliability of student's knowledge assessment. This paper presents the results of development of a test assembly method based on the discovery of test assembly knowledge implicitly embedded in a bank of representative already administered tests. The method uses the nearest neighbour algorithm and it does not depend on a method of creation of existing tests in the test-bank. Results of the conducted experiments are promising and encourage further research in the same direction.

Keywords

• automated test assembly
• knowledge discovery
• knowledge test
• nearest neighbour