1.1. Problem Statement

The general problems to be addressed by the Test Tool project are the following:

  1. to provide a reliable and easy to use software tool that allows test creation and test taking capabilities.
  2. to provide a database that stores questions, which can be used to automatically generate tests based on specified criteria
  3. to provide a secure test taking application and powerful automated grading tool and non automated grading capabilities
While these problems have been solved by a number of commercially available and public domain products, the Test Tool provides a solution with certain functional improvements over existing tools. Specific problem areas are the following:
  1. automatic test generation in a intelligent and efficient manner from question database based on user provided criteria
  2. secure test taking and submitting tool to prevent cheating
  3. test proctor administration tool to see and manage current testers
  4. advanced and intelligent automated test grading, including capability to provide a script to grade program source code
The Test Tool project addresses the requirements of a particular customer. This customer needs a tool with a collection of features not available in any single existing tool. This aspect of the problem is one of combining and improving a set of existing features in a new more efficient way than done before. In addition, the development of functioning software, the Test Tool project focuses on two additional problems not addressed in commercial tools:
  1. to provide a pedagogical example for use in the instruction of software engineering, including an example of the practical application of formal methods
  2. to provide fully documented, public domain source code for use by others





Prev: [none] | Next: personnel | Up: intro | Top: index