Applied Medical Informatics (Mar 2011)
Online Assessment System
Abstract
As a continuous effort to improve and increase the use of computers in students’ education, we implemented an online assessment server. Its purpose is to ease the students’ examination process and to provide a transparent and objective evaluation. The solution we developed is a web application, written using PHP and Javascript. It uses MySQL as a database management system and Apache for the web server, hosted on a Linux system. The site can be accessed through a web browser capable of handling AJAX queries (Asynchronous Javascript and XML). Using the administration module, one can add or remove questions, question categories, can create tests and set its parameters (number of questions, time per question, IP addresses allowed to access the test). The administrator can also monitor the students during the test. The types of questions allowed are multiple choices with a single or multiple correct answers. After a student finishes a test, the grade is automatically displayed and there also is the possibility to review the questions and the correct answers. The system has proven itself to be quite stable; it has been in used for two years. In the nearby future, we intend to develop a second version of the server, one with more capabilities and improved functions.
