Assessment of Pen and Paper Examination Development in Open and Distance Education: Implications for Academic Counselling
Keywords:
Evaluation, pen and paper, validity, distance educationAbstract
This study evaluated pen and paper examinations development with a view to improving examination validity in open and distance education. The study specifically examined the appropriateness, meaningfulness, and usefulness of pen on paper examinations in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). The study employed the survey research design with a view to reaching a large number of respondents. In all, a total of 122 lecturers formed the respondents used for the study. A self-structured questionnaire was constructed and validated for data collection. Three research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical tool. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used to answer the research questions while inferential statistics (t-test and ANOVA) were used to test the hypotheses at .05 level. The results show that valid procedures of item development and generation are always followed in setting pen and paper examinations in NOUN. Despite this, counsellors need to work on students and staff regularly on the rubrics of examinations to ensure both student and institutional success. The study, therefore, recommended appropriate procedures using Bloom’s taxonomy for test development.
Résumé : Cette étude a évalué le développement des examens au stylo et au papier en vue d'améliorer la validité de l'examen dans l'enseignement ouvert et à distance. L'étude a spécifiquement examiné la pertinence, la signification et l'utilité des examens au stylo et au papier de l'Université nationale ouverte du Nigeria (NOUN). L'étude a utilisé la conception de la recherche de l'enquête en vue d'atteindre un grand nombre de répondants. Au total, 122 professeurs ont formé le nombre de répondants utilisés pour l'étude. Un questionnaire auto structuré a été construit et validé pour la collecte de données. Trois questions de recherche et deux hypothèses ont été formulées pour guider l'étude. Les données ont été analysées à l'aide de l'outil statistique SPSS. Des statistiques descriptives (écart moyen et standard) ont été utilisées pour répondre aux questions de recherche, tandis que des statistiques inférentielles (t-test et ANOVA) ont été utilisées pour tester les hypothèses au niveau de 0,05. Les résultats montrent que les procédures valides de développement et de génération d'objets sont toujours suivies dans la mise en place d'examens au stylo et au papier à NOUN. Malgré cela, les conseillers doivent travailler régulièrement sur les rubriques des examens sur les étudiants et le personnel afin d'assurer la réussite des étudiants et de l’institution. L'étude a donc recommandé des procédures appropriées utilisant la taxonomie de Bloom pour le développement des tests.
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