Digital testing: innovation in a traditional world

In this dynamic world, professional growth and development are increasingly important. Global developments are accelerating. Not only in technology, but also in laws and regulations. As an organization, how do you ensure that employees continue to develop in that constantly changing landscape? As a partner in digital testing, Optimum Assessment has a clear view of this. There is always room for professional development and personal growth. Wherever you are in your career. Managing Director Martin van den Berge outlines to us the world of testing, digitization and examination.

“We notice that especially in the business market there is a strong need for review around legislation. Companies have to comply with more and more guidelines and also be able to demonstrate that they are actively working on them,” Van den Berge indicates. “The AVG is a good example, this legislation changes quite a bit in the way personal data may be handled. For example, you are only allowed to keep resumes after an application round for a certain period of time. But are the employees involved aware of this? Organizations must be able to prove this. Testing is a good way to do this. It gives insight into the level of knowledge and at the same time you show that you actively keep everyone informed.”

From paper to digital

“Our field, the world of testing and examination, is generally quite traditional and expectant. We see that traditional component in public education, for example. There, many tests are still simply taken with pen and paper. While entire generations are growing up now and in the future with phones and ipads, schools are lagging behind in this.

There are logical reasons for this; after all, it takes a lot of time to build a digital test. In the process, it also takes time to learn how to work with such a solution. And teachers already have an incredibly high workload. But in the end, digital testing saves a lot of time and improves the quality of exams.

Incidentally, the Netherlands leads the way in this field. In Germany, for example, almost everything is still done on paper, so it’s an interesting growth market.”

“Private education has already adopted digitization a lot more. Besides having more resources available there, they also deal more with short-term courses that often take place at a distance. Therefore, digitization of tests is a much more logical step for that sector.”

Photo: Martin van den Berge

Innovation

“We believe in the power of innovation. But in order to implement those innovative solutions, there must first be a good breeding ground. That’s why we work with focus groups. There we discuss new developments with our customers and gauge where their needs lie. We also use these focus groups to run pilots of new products. Based on these pilots and the information we get back from our customers, we can improve the product so that we can bring a thoroughly tested product to the market. This is also how we are flying the rollout of our completely revamped premium Optimum Assessment Platform. Several exam institutions are already working with this innovative system.”

“A great example of an innovative solution in the testing world is the use of artificial intelligence to prevent exam fraud. For example, we recognize candidates based on their biometric characteristics. The supervisor receives a notification when the use of the keyboard is recognized and thus someone has apparently taken the exam once before. The system recognizes that person A made the test earlier and thus he is not person B, who he claims to be. So it becomes more difficult to take a test in someone else’s name.”

Future-proof

“The possibility of uninterrupted takings is another great example of innovation. We still often hear that a digital test is interrupted because the Internet connection is not working properly. This is not only frustrating for the exam candidate, it can also mean that exams have to be rescheduled. To avoid this, we have a solution where exams can continue as usual even if the connection is down. This is especially interesting for areas where the Internet is not yet as stable as here in the Netherlands. A great tool to realize our international ambitions.”

“The world is digitizing at a rapid pace. We are finding that more and more organizations are making the transition from paper to digital. With good advice, expert guidance and a future-proof testing platform, it is possible to continue testing in a responsible, safe manner. It’s just a matter of time before the keyboarding world is all digital.”