About this Research Topic
The fast expansion of information technology and infrastructure has significantly changed the assessment landscape. Nowadays, a significant portion of assessments are conducted online, ranging from high-stakes educational tests to low-stakes personality assessments. Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted more and more assessments to be moved online. For instance, numerous survey studies that involve human participants have to be conducted online. In terms of high-stakes testing, the Advanced Placement (AP) tests in the US in May 2020 were administered and taken online for the first time ever since its inception. It is an imperative, therefore, to examine methodological approaches that can help improve online assessments to meet both the research, educational, and societal needs.
This Research Topic intends to present state-of-the-art methodological studies related to online assessment. On one hand, information technology brings many flexibilities with respect to participant recruitment, data collection, data management and storage, as well as efficient scoring and score reporting. More information can be gleaned and utilized for analysis and modeling, e.g. response times, key strokes, gaze tracking data, and data on other types of human-computer interaction behaviors. On the other hand, online testing also brings unique challenges. For instance, testing security has been a major concern for high-stakes web-based testing, especially when the test is offered continuously. Moreover, the new forms and modes of test delivery may have unintended effects on students and other test takers. For example, for low-stakes assessments, participant disengagement has plagued online studies. Hence, the goal of this Research Topic is two-fold: One is to explore the advantages of online assessment, and the other is to address its unique challenges and issues.
We welcome contributions related to quantitative online assessment research. Suitable manuscripts focus on either the development of innovative statistical models or new data analytic approaches, or on applications of existing methods resolving specific research questions unique to online assessment. The following list of themes offers guidance to potential contributors regarding the scope and the expectations of this Research Topic. However, this list does not intend to preclude any relevant topic. Please feel free to contact the editors of this Research Topic with respect to the fit of a topic.
• Computer-based testing, including adaptive, non-adaptive and multi-stage
• Automatic test assembly
• Item bank management
• Test security studies of online assessment, e.g. test proctoring, compromised item detection, etc.
• Online survey administration
• Online survey data quality control
• Response time analysis and modeling
• Test mode studies, e.g. web-based vs. paper-pencil-based, adaptive vs. non adaptive, etc.
• Studies involving Human-computer interaction data for online assessment
• Studies on the impact of online assessment on test takers, e.g. motivation, volition, and other characteristics
This Research Topic intends to present state-of-the-art methodological studies related to online assessment. On one hand, information technology brings many flexibilities with respect to participant recruitment, data collection, data management and storage, as well as efficient scoring and score reporting. More information can be gleaned and utilized for analysis and modeling, e.g. response times, key strokes, gaze tracking data, and data on other types of human-computer interaction behaviors. On the other hand, online testing also brings unique challenges. For instance, testing security has been a major concern for high-stakes web-based testing, especially when the test is offered continuously. Moreover, the new forms and modes of test delivery may have unintended effects on students and other test takers. For example, for low-stakes assessments, participant disengagement has plagued online studies. Hence, the goal of this Research Topic is two-fold: One is to explore the advantages of online assessment, and the other is to address its unique challenges and issues.
We welcome contributions related to quantitative online assessment research. Suitable manuscripts focus on either the development of innovative statistical models or new data analytic approaches, or on applications of existing methods resolving specific research questions unique to online assessment. The following list of themes offers guidance to potential contributors regarding the scope and the expectations of this Research Topic. However, this list does not intend to preclude any relevant topic. Please feel free to contact the editors of this Research Topic with respect to the fit of a topic.
• Computer-based testing, including adaptive, non-adaptive and multi-stage
• Automatic test assembly
• Item bank management
• Test security studies of online assessment, e.g. test proctoring, compromised item detection, etc.
• Online survey administration
• Online survey data quality control
• Response time analysis and modeling
• Test mode studies, e.g. web-based vs. paper-pencil-based, adaptive vs. non adaptive, etc.
• Studies involving Human-computer interaction data for online assessment
• Studies on the impact of online assessment on test takers, e.g. motivation, volition, and other characteristics
Keywords: online assessment, computer-based testing, test security, response time, test mode, process data, psychological measurement, educational measurement
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
