BS 7988:2002

Summary

This British Standard gives recommendations on the use of information technology (IT) to deliver assessments to candidates and to record and score their responses. Its scope is defined in terms of three dimensions: the types of assessment to which it applies, the stages of the assessment “life cycle” to which it applies and this British Standard’s focus on specifically IT aspects.

Contents

Foreword

1 Scope

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Guiding principles

5 Interface between assessment content and IT delivery

6 IT delivery of assessments - general

7 Software for IT delivery of assessments - navigation and usability issues

8 Instant automated scoring, result determination and feedback

9 Preparation and transmission of assessment content and correct responses

10 Software and procedures for recording and transmission of candidates’ details and responses and for their storage by assessment distributors

11 Provision of instructions and assessment-specific information for assessment centres

12 Provision of information and practice material for candidates

13 Equipment and facilities at assessment centre, including storage of responses

14 Staffing of assessment centre

15 Preparation for the assessment session

16 Conduct of assessment session

17 Procedures relating to emergencies, technical failures and irregularities

Annex A (informative) Scenarios

Bibliography

Abstract

This British Standard gives recommendations on the use of information technology (IT) to deliver assessments to candidates and to record and score their responses. Its scope is defined in terms of three dimensions: the types of assessment to which it applies, the stages of the assessment “life cycle” to which it applies and this British Standard’s focus on specifically IT aspects.

The aims of this British Standard are to provide a means of:

• showing that the delivery and scoring of the assessment are fair and do not disadvantage some groups of candidates, for example those who are not IT literate
• showing that a summative assessment has been conducted under secure conditions and is the authentic work of the candidate
• showing that the validity of the assessment is not compromised by IT delivery
• providing evidence of the security of the assessment, which can be presented to regulatory and funding organizations (including regulatory bodies in education and training, in industry or in financial services)
• establishing a consistent approach to the regulations for delivery, which should be of benefit to assessment centres who deal with more than one assessment distributor
• giving an assurance of quality to purchasers of “off-the-shelf” assessment software.