Computer Managed Assessment (CMA)

The CMA system enables students to complete formative (optional) or summative (mandatory) assessments and surveys online and in print. For current PeopleSoft assessments, grades are calculated automatically and uploaded into Gradebook. CMA uses single source XML to generate all deliverables, including print, online and interactive CDs of the tests, as well as student feedback which is automatically sent to the students when results are released. Over 100 courses use the CMA system for exams and assignments with over 25,000 submissions per semester.

Benefits of CMA

For students

• immediate feedback for formative tests
• easy to use web interface for online tests
• assistance in exam preparation
• ability to submit results via print or web

For lecturers/examiners

• automatic marking of tests
• automatic upload of student results into PeopleSoft
• automatic feedback generation
• ability to generate print and web tests, as well as print and web feedback
• considerable saving in time required for administering assessment of large courses
• individual test analysis and other reports
• various question types including multi-choice, alpha-numeric and short answer

Recent developments

The CMA system has been running in some form at USQ since the mid 1980s, undergoing several technology changes over the years. The core of the system was rebuilt in 2002 at the time of the PeopleSoft changeover. The CMA system then remained unchanged until 2006, when a major review and upgrade was undertaken. This resulted in significant changes, to allow greater access to the substantial benefits that the system provides. The most significant enhancements to the system for lecturers, examiners and adminstrators include:

• the ability for lecturers, examiners and administrators to view assessments as students view them
• removal of tight coupling with Gradebook assessments, which frees up the CMA system to accommodate:
  • supplementary and deferred exams (in Semester 1 of 2006 the CMA system processed supplementary exams for the Faculty of Business)
  • course surveys (a pilot is planned for Semester 2 of 2006)
• the ability for lecturers and examiners to deploy and administer their own tests
• general upgrade and improvement of the user interface for lecturers, examiners and administrators

The student user interface remains much the same, with minor changes to enhance the usability of the system:

• a new URL to enable students to log in without requiring the link from the study desk
  • when a student logs in to this URL, they will see a list of all the courses they are enrolled in and can then navigate to the available assessments

Future development

There are still a number of possible features and enhancements for the CMA system. These features have been suggested by current and potential users of the CMA system, and will be considered for development in order of priority (ie user demand), as resources permit. For example, support for the IMS QTI standard.

Contact information

Sally MacFarlane