Web-based Test Research Articles

WebMUSHRA — A Comprehensive Framework for Web-based Listening Tests

For a long time, many popular listening test methods, such as ITU-R BS.1534 (MUSHRA), could not be carried out as web-based listening tests, since established web standards did not support all required audio processing features. With the standardization of the Web Audio API, the required features became available and, therefore, also the possibility to implement a wide range of established methods as web-based listening tests. In order to simplify the implementation of MUSHRA listening tests, the development of webMUSHRA was started. By utilizing webMUSHRA, experimenters can configure web-based MUSHRA listening tests without the need of web programming expertise. Today, webMUSHRA supports many more listening test methods, such as ITU-R BS.1116 and forced-choice procedures. Moreover, webMUSHRA is highly customizable and has been used in many auditory studies for different purposes.

Preliminary evaluation of the impact of a Web-based HIV testing programme in Abruzzo Region on the prevention of late HIV presentation and associated mortality

ObjectiveThis study aimed to analyze the efficacy of a Web-based testing programme in terms of the prevention of late HIV presentation. The clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with HIV via the Web-based testing programme were compared to those of patients diagnosed in parallel via standard diagnostic care procedures. MethodsThis study included the clinical and demographic data of newly diagnosed HIV patients enrolled at the study clinic between February 2014 and June 2017. These patients were diagnosed either via standard diagnostic procedures or as a result of the Web-based testing programme. ResultsEighty-eight new cases of HIV were consecutively enrolled; their mean age was 39.1±13.0 years. Fifty-nine patients (67%) were diagnosed through standard diagnostic procedures and 29 (33%) patients came from the Web-based testing programme. Late presentation (62% vs. 34%, p=0.01) and AIDS-defining conditions at presentation (13 vs. 1, p=0.02) were significantly more frequent in the standard care group than in the Web-based group; four of 13 patients with AIDS diagnosed under standard diagnostic procedures died, versus none in the Web-based testing group (p<0.001). ConclusionsWeb-based recruitment for voluntary and free HIV testing helped to diagnose patients with less advanced HIV disease and no risk of death, from all at-risk groups, in comparison with standard care testing.

Online test application development using framework CodeIgniter

The purpose of this study is developing application an online test for vocational students and to know the user acceptance testing on the application. The method used in this research is the Research and Development (R & D) only up to the pilot phase of the product. The stage of the procedure of the research namely: (1) Analyze the exam using paper compared to using web-based application test online. (2) Design the media in accordance with the design of the author. (3) To test the product by including a questionnaire instrument against the application that has been done. Researchers carried out tests on class X on the computer and network engineering Vocational High School (SMK) Darul Ma’wa Plumpang. It can be concluded that: (1) application online test was created gets the value of the validator with the percentage of lowest value and the highest value for the validation of products: 25% and 100%. With a total number of 14 questions, after validation of the products obtained from the three aspects of the assessment scale from 81.25 to 100 obtained from 2 different validators with the meaning of an application that has been developed and very suitable for use in school. (2) Based on User Acceptance Testing (UAT), applications can be very well received by the students and recommend to replay the final semester and others. With the successful acquisition of a category which means it’s ready and qualified.

Development of the web-based pen tapping test software : intra-rater reliability and concurrent validity

Development of the web-based pen tapping test software : intra-rater reliability and concurrent validity

Evaluation of an Adaptive Learning Technology in a First-year Extended Curriculum Programme Physics course

Personalised, adaptive online learning platforms that form part of web-based proficiency tests play a major role in the improvement of the quality of learning in physics and assist learners in building proficiency, preparing for tests and using their time more effectively. In this study, the effectiveness of an adaptive learning platform, Wiley Plus ORION, was evaluated using proficiency test scores compared to paper-based test scores in a first-year introductory engineering physics course. Learners’ performance activities on the adaptive learning platform as well as their performance on the proficiency tests and their impact on the paper-based midterm averaged test were investigated using both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. A comparison between learners’ performance on the proficiency tests and a paper-based midterm test was done to evaluate whether there was a correlation between their performance on the proficiency tests and the midterm test. Focus group interviews were carried out with three categories of learners to elicit their experiences. Results showed that there was a positive relationship between high-performing learners’ proficiency score in the midterm averaged test and that the proficiency test enhanced learners’ performance in the paper-based midterm averaged test.

Attrition from Web-Based Cognitive Testing: A Repeated Measures Comparison of Gamification Techniques.

BackgroundThe prospect of assessing cognition longitudinally and remotely is attractive to researchers, health practitioners, and pharmaceutical companies alike. However, such repeated testing regimes place a considerable burden on participants, and with cognitive tasks typically being regarded as effortful and unengaging, these studies may experience high levels of participant attrition. One potential solution is to gamify these tasks to make them more engaging: increasing participant willingness to take part and reducing attrition. However, such an approach must balance task validity with the introduction of entertaining gamelike elements.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the effects of gamelike features on participant attrition using a between-subjects, longitudinal Web-based testing study.MethodsWe used three variants of a common cognitive task, the Stop Signal Task (SST), with a single gamelike feature in each: one variant where points were rewarded for performing optimally; another where the task was given a graphical theme; and a third variant, which was a standard SST and served as a control condition. Participants completed four compulsory test sessions over 4 consecutive days before entering a 6-day voluntary testing period where they faced a daily decision to either drop out or continue taking part. Participants were paid for each session they completed.ResultsA total of 482 participants signed up to take part in the study, with 265 completing the requisite four consecutive test sessions. No evidence of an effect of gamification on attrition was observed. A log-rank test showed no evidence of a difference in dropout rates between task variants (χ22=3.0, P=.22), and a one-way analysis of variance of the mean number of sessions completed per participant in each variant also showed no evidence of a difference (F2,262=1.534, P=.21, partial η2=0.012).ConclusionsOur findings raise doubts about the ability of gamification to reduce attrition from longitudinal cognitive testing studies.

Visual field defects after temporal lobe resection for epilepsy

PurposeTo determine visual field defects (VFDs) using methods of varying complexity and compare results with subjective symptoms in a population of newly operated temporal lobe epilepsy patients. MethodsForty patients were included in the study. Two patients failed to perform VFD testing. Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA) perimetry was used as the gold standard test to detect VFDs. All patients performed a web-based visual field test called Damato Multifixation Campimetry Online (DMCO). A bedside confrontation visual field examination ad modum Donders was extracted from the medical records in 27/38 patients. All participants had a consultation by an ophthalmologist. A questionnaire described the subjective complaints. ReultsA VFD in the upper quadrant was demonstrated with HFA in 29 (76%) of the 38 patients after surgery. In 27 patients tested ad modum Donders, the sensitivity of detecting a VFD was 13%. Eight patients (21%) had a severe VFD similar to a quadrant anopia, thus, questioning their permission to drive a car. In this group of patients, a VFD was demonstrated in one of five (sensitivity=20%) ad modum Donders and in seven of eight (sensitivity=88%) with DMCO. Subjective symptoms were only reported by 28% of the patients with a VFD and in two of eight (sensitivity=25%) with a severe VFD. Most patients (86%) considered VFD information mandatory. ConclusionVFD continue to be a frequent adverse event after epilepsy surgery in the medial temporal lobe and may affect the permission to drive a car in at least one in five patients. Subjective symptoms and bedside visual field testing ad modum Donders are not sensitive to detect even a severe VFD. Newly developed web-based visual field test methods appear sensitive to detect a severe VFD but perimetry remains the golden standard for determining if visual standards for driving is fulfilled. Patients consider VFD information as mandatory.

Performance of Fourth Graders When Judging the Reasonableness of a Computational Result

This study investigated the performance of 790 fourth graders from Taiwan for judging the reasonableness of a computational result by using corresponding methods pertaining to whole numbers. A number-sense web-based two-tier diagnostic test was used to assess the number-sense performance of the fourth graders who participated in this study. The results revealed unsatisfactory performance of study participants. Only 25% of them could apply the number-sense-based method to answer problems, and approximately 38% of them had misconceptions regarding various items. This paper discusses several of these misconceptions, as well as the study implications and suggestions for future research.

Understanding student perceptions of a web-based blended learning environment

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on how web-based training and testing platforms provide opportunities for students to leverage the capabilities of various information and communication technologies to engage in self-directed learning.Design/methodology/approachThe impact of an interactive learning environment on improving students’ essential skills was measured using a previously validated structured questionnaire, consisting of five subscales: content, accuracy, format, ease of use, and timeliness. Having analyzed the instrument, the authors decided to modify it to incorporate two more measures of overall reliability and satisfaction to capture students’ overall satisfaction level with the tool. Overall, 24 items are used to measure students’ perceptions of the tool content, accuracy, format, ease of use, timeliness, reliability and satisfaction. A five-point Likert-type scale was used in the questionnaire where 1=strongly disagree and 5=strongly agree.FindingsThis study suggests that while students’ major, instructor, and course grade are important factors impacting student perception of the learning tool, year (freshman vs sophomore) and gender do not have any impact on the student perception. Course grade shows an interesting trend. Students who received an A and an F as their final grades are the most satisfied groups compared to other grade groups. This finding suggests a further study is needed to explore the impact of the course grade on the students’ satisfaction with the tool. While students liked simulations, grading feature with immediate feedback, electronic textbook and the system overall, they suggested improvements in the grading module, simulations, projects, system compatibility, system reliability, and cost.Originality/valueMost studies use a survey to measure student’s satisfaction with a web-based learning platform. This study, however, made an attempt to understand students’ satisfaction with a web-based blended learning platform by analyzing their comments and feedback on the course using a text analytics tool.

A Test Sheet Optimization Approach to Supporting Web-based Learning Diagnosis Using Group Testing Methods

Assessment can help teachers to examine the effectiveness of teaching and to diagnose the unfamiliar basic concepts (or attributes) of students within the testing scope. A web-based adaptive testing and diagnostic system can achieve the above objective efficiently and correctly. From a diagnostic point of view, the major concerns are to diagnose whether or not an examinee has learned each basic concept well in the testing scope, while also limiting the number of test items used (the testing length) to as few as possible, which will be directly related to the patience of the examinee. In this paper, we consider a test item selecting optimization diagnostic problem to reveal the mastery profile of an examinee (that is, to diagnose each basic concept's learning status (well learned/unfamiliar) in the testing scope) with a short testing length and a limited test item exposure rate. This paper uses the techniques of Group Testing theory for the design of our test item selecting algorithm. Two test item selecting strategies, the bisecting method and the doubling method, are proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed methods was evaluated by experimental simulations. The results show that both of the proposed algorithms use fewer test items and a limited test item exposure rate compared to the conventional methods.

Effect of Caffeine on Attention and Alertness Measured in a Home-Setting, Using Web-Based Cognition Tests.

BackgroundThere is an increasing interest among nutritional researchers to perform lifestyle and nutritional intervention studies in a home setting instead of testing subjects in a clinical unit. The term used in other disciplines is ‘ecological validity’ stressing a realistic situation. This becomes more and more feasible because devices and self-tests that enable such studies are more commonly available. Here, we present such a study in which we reproduced the effect of caffeine on attention and alertness in an at-home setting.ObjectiveThe study was aimed to reproduce the effect of caffeine on attention and alertness using a Web-based study environment of subjects, at home, performing different Web-based cognition tests.MethodsThe study was designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study. Subjects were provided with coffee sachets (2 with and 2 without caffeine). They were also provided with a written instruction of the test days. Healthy volunteers consumed a cup of coffee after an overnight fast. Each intervention was repeated once. Before and 1 hour after coffee consumption subjects performed Web-based cognitive performance tests at home, which measured alertness and attention, established by 3 computerized tests provided by QuantifiedMind. Each test was performed for 5 minutes.ResultsWeb-based recruitment was fast and efficient. Within 2 weeks, 102 subjects applied, of whom 70 were eligible. Of the 66 subjects who started the study, 53 completed all 4 test sessions (80%), indicating that they were able to perform the do it yourself tests, at home, correctly. The Go-No Go cognition test performed at home showed the same significant improvement in reaction time with caffeine as found in controlled studies in a metabolic ward (P=.02). For coding and N-back the second block was performed approximately 10% faster. No effect was seen on correctness.ConclusionsThe study showed that the effects of caffeine consumption on a cognition test in an at-home setting revealed similar results as in a controlled setting. The Go-No Go test applied showed improved results after caffeine intake, similar as seen in clinical trials. This type of study is a fast, reliable, economical, and easy way to demonstrate effectiveness of a supplement and is rapidly becoming a viable alternative for the classical randomized control trial to evaluate life style and nutritional interventions.Trial RegistrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT02061982; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02061982 (Archived by WebCite at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02061982)

2311 WEBテストを活用した品質マネジメントプロセスの定着化(一般セッション)

2311 WEBテストを活用した品質マネジメントプロセスの定着化(一般セッション)

Epilepsy awareness and emergency rescue training: Ignorance is bliss!

Status epilepticus (SE) has a high mortality rate and is associated with complications such as neurological deficit and cognitive decline. Buccal midazolam is the recommended emergency rescue medication in the UK to reduce the duration of a seizure and SE. It should be administered by an appropriately trained person. There are agreed guidelines on training standards for its administration in the UK produced by the Joint Epilepsy Council of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Training should provide an overview of epilepsy to facilitate safe, person-centered care and appropriate administration of rescue medication to people with epilepsy (PWE). Unfortunately the current guidelines do not assure satisfactory practice. An investigation was conducted to quantify the nature and degree of the problem in Cornwall, UK (population 550,000). To address the identified inconsistencies, a web-based test was developed using a focus group of experts and stakeholders. Over 800 carers for PWE took the test at different intervals of its development. A consistent 20% failure rate was noted. Over 90% of participants felt it kept PWE safer. The test was incorporated into routine clinical practice and has contributed to reduction of primary epilepsy deaths. The e-test is a cost-effective solution to help harmonize practices across different settings and can be easily adopted by other countries.

A Cybersecurity Approach for Evaluating Mobile Agents

ABSTRACTSecurity is a significant concern for mobile agent-based computing as mobile agents are vulnerable to malicious hosts and rogue agents. Existing models developed to secure agents, were not essentially evaluated to guarantee the desired level of security. Hence, this work aimed at implementing a cybersecurity approach for evaluating mobile agents using a web-based penetration testing tool called Lens.

Effects of feedback elaboration and feedback timing during computer-based practice in mathematics problem solving

This study investigated the effects of feedback on performance with pairs of isomorphic items that were embedded within consecutive mathematics web-based practice tests. Participants were randomly assigned to different experimental testing conditions: (1) feedback type: knowledge of correct response (KCR) or KCR with elaborated feedback (EF) in the form of additional explanations of the correct answer, (2) feedback timing: immediately after answering each item or delayed after completing the practice test, and (3) item format: multiple-choice or constructed response. The study specifically investigated the likelihood that participants would correctly answer the second version of the item, conditioned on their answer to the first version, across feedback type and timing conditions, and taking into account item format and participant initial ability. Results from 2445 participants showed a different pattern of results depending on initial item response correctness. With respect to feedback type, EF resulted in higher performance than KCR following incorrect first responses (suggesting initial lack of knowledge and understanding), but not following correct first responses. With respect to feedback timing, immediate feedback with additional delayed review resulted in higher performance than delayed feedback following incorrect first responses, but resulted in lower performance following correct first responses (immediate feedback without delayed review resulted in lower performance in both cases).

Use of GetCheckedOnline, a Comprehensive Web-based Testing Service for Sexually Transmitted and Blood-Borne Infections.

BackgroundThe British Columbia Centre for Disease Control implemented a comprehensive Web-based testing service GetCheckedOnline (GCO) in September 2014 in Vancouver, Canada. GCO’s objectives are to increase testing for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs), reach high-prevalence populations facing testing barriers, and increase clinical STI service capacity. GCO was promoted through email invitations to provincial STI clinic clients, access codes to clients unable to access immediate clinic-based testing (deferred testers), and a campaign to gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM).ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to report on characteristics of GCO users, use and test outcomes (overall and by promotional strategy) during this pilot phase.MethodsWe used GCO program data, website metrics, and provincial STI clinic records to describe temporal trends, progression through the service pathway, and demographic, risk, and testing outcomes for individuals creating GCO accounts during the first 15 months of implementation.ResultsOf 868 clients creating accounts, 318 (36.6%) submitted specimens, of whom 96 (30.2%) tested more than once and 10 (3.1%) had a positive STI diagnosis. The proportion of clients submitting specimens increased steadily over the course of the pilot phase following introduction of deferred tester codes. Clients were diverse with respect to age, gender, and ethnicity, although youth and individuals of nonwhite ethnicity were underrepresented. Of the 506 clients completing risk assessments, 215 (42.5%) were MSM, 89 (17.6%) were symptomatic, 47 (9.3%) were STI contacts, 232 (45.8%) reported condomless sex, 146 (28.9%) reported ≥4 partners in the past 3 months, and 76 (15.0%) reported a recent STI. A total of 63 (12.5%) GCO clients were testing for the first time. For 868 accounts created, 337 (38.8%) were by clinic invitations (0 diagnoses), 298 (34.3%) were by deferred testers (6 diagnoses), 194 (22.4%) were by promotional campaign (3 diagnoses), and 39 (4.5%) were by other means (1 diagnosis).ConclusionsOur evaluation suggests that GCO is an acceptable and feasible approach to engage individuals in testing. Use by first-time testers, repeated use, and STI diagnosis of individuals unable to access immediate clinic-based testing suggest GCO may facilitate uptake of STBBI testing and earlier diagnosis. Use by MSM and individuals reporting sexual risk suggests GCO may reach populations with a higher risk of STI. Motivation to test (eg, unable to access clinical services immediately) appears a key factor underlying GCO use. These findings identify areas for refinement of the testing model, further promotion, and future research (including understanding reasons for drop-off through the service pathway and more comprehensive evaluation of effectiveness). Increased uptake and diagnosis corresponding with expansion of the service within British Columbia will permit future evaluation of this service across varying populations and settings.

Reliability in cardiotocography interpretation - impact of extended on-site education in addition to web-based learning: an observational study.

Previous studies have shown poor reproducibility in cardiotocography (CTG) interpretation. Studies evaluating the Swedish web-based CTG-education program have not proven to increase accurate CTG assessments. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an extended education can improve inter- and intra-observer reliability in CTG interpretation. Six obstetricians from two different departments interpreted 106 CTG tracings on two occasions. Both departments used a Swedish national web-based CTG education and test for training. One department had, in addition, an extended education program consisting of on-site lectures and oral examinations. Inter- and intra-observer agreements were calculated by simple or weighted kappa (κ) values for the five parameters assessed on CTG. In both departments inter-observer and intra-observer κ showed moderate to excellent agreement (ranges for κ 0.41-0.76 and 0.65-0.93, respectively). Obstetricians at the department with extended CTG education had better inter-observer reliability for variability and accelerations. This was also the case for intra-observer reliability with the addition of baseline frequency. Both inter- and intra-observer agreement increased from moderate to substantial in both departments when decelerations were dichotomized into harmless (including early and simple variable decelerations) or hypoxic (including late, severe variable, prolonged and combined decelerations) (κ 0.63-0.78) compared with the current sub-classification of decelerations (κ 0.42-0.65). Agreement in CTG interpretation was better than expected in both departments, especially when divided into harmless/hypoxic changes. Combination of different learning methods (web-based, on-site lectures and case discussion) might result in a better CTG interpretation agreement compared with web-based learning solely.

Definition af kompetenceniveauer i fremmedsprog inden for en fælles europæisk referenceramme

The definition of levels of foreign language competence is anything but unambiguous. There is thus a need for a more fine-tuned framework of reference, within which the different levels of competence may be described. In this article the Common European Framework of Reference, developed under the auspices of the Council of Europe, will be briefly described as will DIALANG, a web-based diagnostic testing system developed in accordance with the common European framework. Finally, the strengths and weak-nesses as well as the perspectives for future use of these new tools will be discussed.

PENERAPAN TEKNOLOGI WEB UNTUK MEMBANGUN SISTEM LATIHAN UJIAN NASIONAL ONLINE BAGI SMA MUHAMMADIYAH 4 KARTASURA

In 2015, Ministry of Education and Culture of Republic of Indonesia introduced online national examination systems for senior high school students to replace paper-based national examination systems. The problem faced by many schools are students are not ready to have a computer-based test because they do not have enough preparation. The root this problem is because scholls do not have an online examination systems for training their students. This paper discusses a development and application of online national examination preparation systems for SMA Muhammadiyah 4 Kartasura. The objective of the development is to provide a web based sistem which could be used for training students to face online national examination. The system was developed following system development life cycle (SDLC) principle with waterfall approach. The requirement analysis showed that the features of the systems needed by the school are involving randomizing mechanism for questions, test duration limitation, automatic marking systems, administrator functions and login systems for students and teachers. The national examination preparation systems was developed using PHP programming language dan MySQL database management systems. The result of the development is a web-based national examination preparation systems with complete features in accordance with requirement analysis. The questionaire analysis of system testing by the users involving teachers and students showed that 70% respondents feel satisfy with the developed systems. Keywords: computer based test, online national examination, web-based test systems,

Comparative analysis of metacognitive strategies used in the internet-integrated test to enhance English speaking ability in Thai tourism context

This study aimed to compare the use of metacognitive strategies between the high- and low-proficiency students in attempting three tourism situational test task types via internet-integrated speaking test, and to explore the strategies that can facilitate low-proficiency students to develop their speaking ability. The total of 120 university students participated in this study, and 18 were randomly selected in the data collection process through the stimulated recall verbal interview. The research instruments included the web-based speaking test in English for tourism and the coding scheme. The results indicated that the most differently reported total metacognitive strategies between the two groups were in dos and don'ts in Thai culture task (H = 20.77%, L = 5.18%). The most differently reported sub-strategies between the two group were planning in presenting tourism information task (H = 9.09%, L = 2.59%). As a result, low-proficiency students should be trained to effectively use these strategies to improve their speaking ability.