March 21, 2003 Student News
Aggies
Voice Opinions About Testing Centers
From the Utah Statesman
(3/19/03)
Utah State University students take exams in their classrooms
during scheduled class times, while those at other Utah colleges
and universities take exams in a testing center.
Associated Students of USU Academic Vice President-elect Karla
Petty included in her platform she wanted to get a testing center
at USU.
Stephanie Strasser, a senior majoring in public relations,
said she previously attended a school that used testing centers.
"I would like a testing center if I was given an exact
date and time to take the test," she said.
Strasser said she did not like being given an option of three
days to take a test at the other school she attended. She said
she would procrastinate studying until the last day the test
was given.
BYU requires that students take exams in a testing center.
The university wants to give professors more flexibility and
students more time to take an exam, according to its Web site,
http://testing.byu.edu.
The site gives conditions on waiting in line and estimates
on how many students will take an exam on a certain day. The
center administers about 800,000 tests every year, returning
more than 1 million hours of teaching time to instructors and
students, according to the Web site.
Hunter Checketts, a junior majoring in business, said, "I
would not like the idea of a testing center. I think you take
tests better in the environment you learned the information
in, because it is easier to recall the information."
David Stein, department head of psychology, said, "Most
students study for exams in the library or dormitory,"
so it does not make a difference where the exam is taken.
A testing center could have its advantages, he said, explaining
that it may allow use of case examples on video tape and better
cater to the individual student. Faculty would like the center,
because it would improve the efficiency and quality of testing,
Stein said.
Keeping students from cheating is not a likely problem at testing
centers.
Strasser said students are required to sign in with an identification
card, are assigned to a specific desk, and are watched by cameras.
Stein said, "Cheating would more likely happen in a classroom.
If the testing centers had proctors, students would have a hard
time cheating.
"When developing a testing center, it is important to
ask how it would improve validity and reliability on testing,"
he said.
A testing center that could be set up for students to take
exams over and over until mastery is achieved would be great
for learning, Stein added.
By Lindsey Parrott; lindseyp@cc.usu.edu
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