| Summary: | A test management system is programmed to store and manage test items
as well as to automate the generation of tests for the purpose of assessments. An item
bank is a repository of test items with associated data, and it is the core component of a
test management system. From administrative point of view, the primary focus in the
design of a test management system is system efficiency, both in terms of effort and
cost. Educators however are more concerned with the validity and reliability of tests in
measuring students’ performance. Thus, the design and development of a quality item
banking system should take both views into consideration. Other issues in the item
banking design include test objectivity, appropriateness of item distribution, fairness and
practicality. In this paper, the author identifies the essential elements required of an
effective and efficient item banking system. Some of the important factors to be
considered in designing the system include: the application of Bloom’s Taxonomy in
item categorization, the role of test specification table in item selection, the capability of
the system in filtering poor quality items for review and enhancement. Based on the
analysis, a conceptual framework for the design of the item banking system is proposed.
The system aims towards minimizing the manual process of the test paper preparation
whilst ensuring the quality of the test paper generated. The author provides a detailed
description of the framework as well the process involved in test items generation and
test items enhancement. (Abstract by author)
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