Design and Application of a Computer Tool to Evaluate the Goodness of Fit for Tests Designed to Be Self-Taught

Abstract

Nowadays, multiple choice questions play an important role in the self-evaluation process. The present work undertakes the design of a computer tool—Excel® worksheet—that will allow the calculation of different parameters that are usually employed for the evaluation of tests: difficulty, discrimination index, consistency, etc. The designed tool is used to evaluate the goodness to fit of multiple-choice tests on a practical particular case: self-teaching by competencies on the academic field of Pharmaceutical Technology of the Pharmacy Degree at Complutense University of Madrid. The easy-access computer tool designed makes it possible to evaluate tests from the empirical evidence, with respect to the fulfilment of the desired psychometric requirements, aiming to be useful for the student self-learning.

Keywords

• psychometric analysis
• index of difficulty
• index of discrimination
• consistency
• Excel® sheet
• item of multiple choices
• Pharmaceutical Technology
• self-learning