Computer Aided Assessment

Undergrad Computer Aided Assessment (CAA) underpinned by Computer Algebra

Those I have used, so far, are: calmaeth, mathxl, AiM, mapleTA (in actual class use) and stack (just demo-ed).

CAA is usually for use in large classes, though experiments with new aspects are sometimes done with smaller classes.

I use - or help others in the use of - any CAA system in the genre which is

• affordable
• underpinned by a Computer Algebra package that I already know
• preferably in use, or soon to be in use, elsewhere in Perth

There are lots of CAA systems, so selection is needed.

• I prefer free, open-source systems. (AiM is free and open-source *except* for the maple underpinning it. However the commercial - maple - component, has been enough to disqualify AiM from use at UWA from 2008, as the maple vendor has increased the price to stop us using AiM.)
• The only one in this genre I know is stack, but I have never used it with a class.
• I prefer systems which are used at several universities worldwide (e.g. AiM, mapleTA, stack).
  • I prefer systems where there is active sharing of question databases.
  • (Mind you, quality is a real issue, and I *wrongly* assumed mapleta materials up to be shared would be OK when, in fact, we discovered in the use in 2008 that they were severely buggy.)
  • I prefer systems where there is active work at integrating the systems with the Managed Learning Environments used at UWA and Curtin (Blackboard, WebCT and a bit of moodle).
• I prefer systems one runs on one's own servers.
• (mathxl - and other systems from publishers - do not satisfy this preference.)

However one can't always get what one prefers.

I quite like writing my own questions, provided that I believe they will get continuing use. I prefer working with others,

• Kevin Judd (UWA) for calmaeth work (but my last use of it was in 2010)
• Greg Gamble and others at Curtin for AiM
• I also have an interest in stack under moodle, for appropriate moodle sites. (Perhaps, for Perth sites, Murdoch Maths, Curtin College, EIT, perhaps final year school calculus at schools, and elsewhere, Curtin Miri campus.)
• However, so far I haven't actually found anyone with whom to work on stack.

Some history of my authoring efforts since 2000 is given in this list of some CAA systems.