Assessment using new technology

Abstract

When we think about assessment using digital technologies, we often assume this means the introduction of computer‐based tests. There are, however, other ways of using assessment for learning in which technology can play a useful and important role. This paper will discuss an innovative project, eVIVA, which uses mobile phones and the Internet to support formative assessment. The eVIVA project is currently being piloted by Ultralab, a learning and technology research unit at Anglia Polytechnic University, in schools across the UK. The initial pilot came to an end on 31 July 2003 but the project was then extended until July 2004. The chapter, reporting on the findings of the initial pilot, will discuss the development of the process, the responses of students and teachers to this new approach, and the implications of the project for developing a more student‐centred approach to assessment and learning, and how this might impact on higher education.