1.5.1 TCExam Review
The TCExam is a web-based program with limited features. The software is mainly to satisfy the need for online test administration and does not particularly aid a teacher in generating exams. This is one of the more simplistic designs available and allows very little customization.
One of the biggest downfalls of this system is the random tests for each user. Random tests are a problem because an instructor cannot produce the same exam for all students without extra work. Unless an instructor gives nearly all tests online and unsupervised, this feature is burdensome rather than helpful. Since each test will be random, an instructor cannot preview the test or modify it, such as adding or removing a question.
A second major downfall is insufficient test-generation options. An instructor only has the options to specify the number of each question type, topics, and per question. TCExam does not offer the flexibility to produce a test based on specific topics, questions, difficulty or other criteria. The also cannot adjust the points scale for individual questions.
Although this program does suit particular audiences, it does not cover the needs of the majority of users.
Good Features:
good basic design
generally very effective for a specific audience (instructors who administer the majority of test online)
questions and answer can be formatted and can include images
web-based so server side is not platform dependent
additional security based on IP addresses
generates a corrected test for viewing by the end user
menu with complete and incomplete questions for quick reference during a test
each question can be updated to allow multiple choice or free answer
questions can be created with extra possible answers and, when the question is used in an exam, TCExam can produce a random selection of possible answers
simple and understandable for test taker
Bad Features:
generates unique tests for each user
does not allow customization for test creation, user interface, or question creation
requires extra work/time for administrative duties
countdown clock cannot be hidden
requires quite a bit of extra work and planning to be able to generate an identical test for each user
test generation is only based on topic and question type, this requires that questions are broken down into small categories or categories are readjusted for each test in order to have control over the content of the test
tests can only be generated using very narrow and limited criteria
Missing Features:
does not allow exporting for grades, tests or question-databases in formats other than PDF
no importing capabilities
questions do not include any additional data about difficulty or keywords
does not allow for review or alteration after test is generated
does not allowed different questions (or types of questions) to have varying point values
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