A Learning Management System (LMS) and an assessment software system are two completely different things. It is therefore impossible to compare them, as it would be like comparing apples and oranges. This blog does not focus on the differences, but on the special features of an assessment software system. Does an assessment system offer added value compared to an LMS? Testing as the primary objective We will highlight a few important features here. These features relate to the added value of an assessment software system, namely assessment. Assessment software systems are extremely powerful when it comes to summative assessment. We will discuss the following aspects in turn: Formative and summative assessment; Supervision and confidentiality; Independent assessment; Test administration; Quality of the assessment. Formative and summative assessment (1) Formative assessment is assessment without formal consequences, the interim measurement of learning outcomes for the benefit of the learning process and the development of the student. Summative assessment is assessment with formal consequences, at the end of a learning programme or phase. This form of assessment is used when diplomas or certificates are awarded or when a decision is made about an individual's position in the labour market. Has a student learned enough to be able to practise the profession? Have employees learned enough to be able to move on to further training? The importance attached to summative assessment is often much greater than that attached to formative assessment. Such importance naturally requires optimally conducted testing and high-quality, summative assessment of learning objectives, under supervision. However, the main purpose of an LMS is learning with formative assessment, whereas assessment software is mainly used for summative assessment. Supervision and confidentiality (2) Quality assessment involves supervised testing. Where an LMS is not equipped for this circumstance, an assessment software system is ideally suited. Because there is digital surveillance takes place, the confidentiality of the questions remains guaranteed. This means you do not design a test question for a single use, but for repeated use. Independent assessment (3) The test questions in an LMS usually come directly from the course material. The course material, rather than the learning objectives, can then become the guiding principle. The use of a test software system encourages testing based on learning objectives rather than course material. After all, learning takes place outside the system and the course material is not (digitally) fixed. Test administration (4) For the end user, both an LMS and an keyboard software system personal settings such as font size or image colour (for visually impaired or colour-blind individuals). One difference, however, is that testing via a test software system has a verifiable time limit that is the same for everyone. This time pressure is important for measuring insight and skill levels. Take accounting, for example. If you take an hour longer than others, then you are apparently not very good at it. Quality of assessment (5) When it comes to the quality of assessment, we identify two important aspects: adjustment after analysis and didactic quality. Adjustment after analysis A test software system is ideally equipped to automatically generate data about the difficulty and quality of test questions. With this data, you can then check after each test whether the test questions are ‘performing well’. Does a test question fit well with the test as a whole? How reliable is it? And how long do students take to complete the test on average? All this data can be made transparent without much effort. Since an LMS focuses primarily on learning, it is generally not suitable for collecting this type of data. Didactic quality In the content section of the LMS system, you will often find processing assignments and test-your-knowledge questions. These are very focused on (the progress of) the learning process/learning content. The assessment software system, on the other hand, offers a wide variety of question types, enabling you to create a didactically sound assessment. For each learning objective, you choose a question form which best tests the subject matter: multiple-choice questions, drag-and-drop questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, open-ended questions, etc. Conclusion In short: if the test objective is the main objective, opt for a test software system. The advantages are numerous: testing takes place in a controlled environment, under supervision and within a predetermined time frame. In addition, there is a boost for testing learning objectives and the quality of the test, without compromising on customisation in the administration, tailored to individual circumstances such as dyslexia, visual impairment, etc.
