CompareIT Marking
A database and electronic marking tool used to assess students work in a range of media quickly and efficiently
Marking of assessments is a complex task, particularly when the skills being assessed are not easily tested using quantitative assessments (e.g. multi-choice tests). This has lead education providers to use the comparative-pairs method of marking for assessing works such as videos, websites and graphics. This method compares two students work and records the markers judgments. These comparisons are then statistically analysed to arrive at a final grade. This method is seen to be the 'gold standard' in assessing such works and has been adopted by many examining bodies worldwide, including the WA Curriculum Council.
The primary barrier to assessing students using non-standard forms of assessment has been the time required to mark the work, resulting in high costs in comparison to traditional techniques. This lead to the development of the CompareIT system, a program that digitally presents pairs of work that can be in a variety of formats (PDF, website, video, graphic), records the examiner's judgments and statistically analyses the results. This process dramatically increases the speed at which such assessment can be conducted, increasing the viability of this assessment technique. With "high-stakes" assessments such as Curriculum Council exams now being conducted using comparative pairs, there is a strong market need for improved efficiency of this form of assessment.
This invention was developed by The Centre for Schooling and Learning Technologies (CSaLT) ECU. A working prototype has been developed and was successfully piloted in 2007.