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Computerized long-menu questions as an alternative to open-ended questions in computerized assessment
L W Schuwirth1, C P van der Vleuten, H E Stoffers
1Department of General Practice, University of Limburg, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Medical Education
|January 1, 1996
Summary
A new computerized long-menu question (CLM) format offers a viable alternative to traditional open-ended questions in computerized testing. CLMs provide comparable scores to open-ended questions without significant impact from computer anxiety.
Area of Science:
- Educational Technology
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Computerized examinations face challenges with cueing effects and scoring accuracy.
- Traditional question formats may not be optimal for digital assessment environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and evaluate a novel computerized long-menu question (CLM) format.
- To compare CLM performance against open-ended and multiple-choice questions.
- To assess the influence of computer anxiety on CLM scoring.
Main Methods:
- Development of the computerized long-menu question (CLM) format.
- Comparative study involving two treatment groups: CLMs vs. open-ended questions, and CLMs vs. multiple-choice questions.
- Analysis of scores, response times, and correlation with self-perceived computer anxiety.
Main Results:
- CLM scores were comparable to open-ended questions but significantly different from multiple-choice questions.
- Higher cueing effects were observed when comparing CLMs to multiple-choice questions.
- Response times for CLMs were significantly longer than for both open-ended and multiple-choice questions.
- Computer anxiety did not affect mean scores in either comparison.
Conclusions:
- Computerized long-menu questions (CLMs) present a suitable replacement for open-ended questions in computerized testing.
- CLMs mitigate cueing effects and scoring issues inherent in other digital question formats.
- The CLM format appears robust, unaffected by participant computer anxiety.