Authors

• Mehran Farajollahi ¹
• Reza Norouzzadeh ²
• Fahimeh Alsadat Haghighi ³

¹ Department of Humanities Sciences, Payame Noor University, Tehran

² Institute for Research & Planning in Higher Education

³ Lecturer, Payame Noor University, Tehran

Abstract

The assessment of learning in an open and distance university by testing instruments is a very complicated due to saturation of environment from digital media and changing role of involved factors in learning cycle. The purpose of this research was to comparatively evaluate the perspective of PUN faculty members about current and desired status of open and distance university tests. A descriptive survey method was used in this study. The statistical population included all faculty members who have cooperated with university testing center. A sample of 286 faculty members was randomly selected by using Morgan Table of Random Sample. A researcher made instrument was developed for this research. The content validity was determined by experts of question design and experienced faculty members. The reliability of questionnaire computed via Chronbach's Alpha for current situation(α = 0.92) and desired situation(α = 0.96). The data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics (such as means and standard deviations) and independent and single t tests. The findings indicated that there is a difference between the current and desired testing situations in open and distance universities in goals, design, application, correction, feedback and their three components. Accordingly, a review of current status of open and distance tests are necessary and inevitable.

Keywords

• Open and Distance University
• faculty members
• test
• question design