Here's something that came across my desk.
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More Tests Coming To a University Near You!
The following is a portion of a recent news advertising a new testing
program. . . .<snip>Your opinions are greatly appreciated as we asses=
s
the impact of yet another ETS test
Princeton, N.J., November 8, 2004 - Educational Testing Service (ETS)
today announced the launch of the ETS ICT (Information and Communicat=
ion
Technology) Literacy Assessment, a simulation-based testing program t=
hat
measures postsecondary students' ability to define, access, manage,
integrate, evaluate, create and communicate information in a
technological environment.=20
Unique among literacy assessments, the ETS ICT Literacy Assessment
measures multiple aspects of ICT proficiency. Rather than pose
multiple-choice questions, it requires test takers to use basic
technology as a tool to arrive at solutions. In that way, the test
demands that students use technology to perform information managemen=
t
tasks, such as extracting specific information from a database,
developing a spreadsheet, or composing an e-mail summarizing research
findings. Equipped with a PC in a proctored environment and pencil an=
d
paper for notes, students are challenged to respond to 16 tasks over =
the
course of the two-hour online test.=20
The test is an outgrowth of work done by an international panel of
experts ETS convened three years ago to study the growing importance =
of
existing and emerging information and communication technologies and
their relationship to literacy. In developing this new test, ETS
partnered with seven leading colleges and universities to form the
National Higher Education ICT Initiative. Guided by insights and
exploration into information and technology literacy, the group
identified the testing criteria for ICT Literacy Assessment.=20
For students, the ICT Literacy Assessment provides a gauge of how wel=
l
they can use information and communication technology as a practical
resource. For two- and four-year colleges and universities, the test
will help them better plan resource allocation, focus on specific are=
as
of student improvement, and report to accrediting agencies as increas=
ed
value is placed in ICT proficiency.=20
"Given the remarkable extent to which information and communication
technology has transformed the classroom, the workplace, the global
economy and our lives, it is critical that schools have at their
disposal an effective means for measuring a prospect's information
literacy," says Linda Tyler, Group Executive Director for New Product
Development in the Higher Education Division at ETS.
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Joel Rauber=20
Department of Physics - SDSU=20