ExamSoft Update Tackles Simplified Delivery of Assessments

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 08/15/13

Assessment technology company ExamSoft has updated its cloud-based service for managing testing. The latest version has modifications to the interface, new features for managing creation of tests and test-takers, and new forms of help and reporting. ExamSoft is a program that allows schools to create, deliver, analyze, and manage exams given online.

The feature set for the new release was influenced by faculty members from customer institutions who participated in focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and sessions with user design experts. The goal: to simplify use of the application.

Among the updates:

• Simpler navigation through consolidation of features for pre- and post-exam management onto one screen;
• Single screen question creation and more efficient import tools that allow the instructor to build question databases for a course, a department, or a college;
• More forms of help, including hover-over tips, pop-up screens, support videos, and reference guides;
• Exam blueprinting to enable instructors to create assessments that cover all learning objectives;
• Improved exam taker management, allowing faculty members to monitor student performance, track when and where tests have been taken, and provide opportunities to communicate directly with students during the exam; and
• Enhanced reporting that provides longitudinal analysis of assessment results by student, class, course, and institution levels.

The company said it would release additional updates later this year to provide rubric-building functionality, a function announced earlier this year.

"Every faculty member wants to better understand his or her students' strengths and weaknesses and measure how well they are grasping key concepts. But, without the right support technology, using assessment to do that can be tedious," said Patrick Chadd, manager of academic systems and educational technology at Rowan University's School of Osteopathic Medicine. "When we first started using ExamSoft our ability to provide students timely feedback greatly improved. We are excited that the updates to the platform will help us create, deliver, and evaluate assessments more easily and give us unprecedented access to assessment data to connect students to their academics in even more meaningful ways."

This round of updates is available to customers now at no cost.

ExamSoft software is being used at a number of schools, including University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry, the University of Hawaii Maui College, and Ohio State University College of Medicine.