One of the characteristics of e-assessment systems is the need to manage the data. Carrying out assessments through the computer means you are able to capture very large volumes of data. Data that can refer to either

• the item or assessment itself, or to
• the candidate.

For instance in traditional assessments that tend to use pen and paper the only information usually held about one candidate taking an assessment is the end result - normally the sum total of all marks and the awarded grade (if appropriate). With computer based systems, where each question is presented by the system and each answer is collected by the system, the systems can hold information down to each item level.

This means with the item, it is possible to analyse how that individual question was answered (or attempted) by many candidates. It gives you considerable information about the quality or the question.

Similarly, the analysis by question for a cohort of candidates provides powerful information about the understanding or knowledge on a subject (or range of subjects) exhibited by the candidates within a broader qualification. And how this has changed over a period of time

We suddenly have the potential tools to analyse both the effectiveness of a question and the teaching of candidates.

To arrive at that situation means we need to think carefully about how data are stored and used in e-assessment. This obviously in turn raises serious questions about security, confidentiality, standards, volumes, data presentation etc.

In these pages in the future we will look at these questions in more detail. Return here to find out more.