E-ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS BASED ON PERSONAL RESPONSE SYSTEM

Tools for electronic assessment are being developed mainly with growth of distance learning platforms. However, the possibility of electronic testing seems to be valuable also in the classroom, which is not usually equipped with computers. For this purpose, systems of remote controllers have been in development for over ten years. The first versions of controllers were operating in infrared technology which significantly limited the amount of data that could be transferred from remote controls to computers. That allowed only using simple multiple-choice and single number questions. Those limitations excluded those systems as an effective assessment tool. In recent years new versions of systems were presented. Modern remote controls are operating in radio technology and possess their own memory that makes it possible to code and send more complex questions. Also, new controllers can operate in asynchronous mode which creates the opportunity for personalization of students' work. Thanks to new functionality, modern response systems can potentially be used as assessment tools. This fact creates new opportunities and challenges for educators in developing a methodology of use of this tool during various types of courses. Presented results were obtained during the pilot implementation of the Personal Response System - PRS RF during laboratory classes for first year students of Biophysics in years 2009-2011 at Jagiellonian University.