Assessing the evidence: Student response system versus computer based testing for undertaking multiple choice question assessment in undergraduate nursing education

There is a dearth of evidence focusing on student preferences for computer-based testing versus<br/>testing via student response systems for summative assessment in undergraduate education.<br/>This quantitative study compared the preference and acceptability of computer-based testing<br/>and a student response system for completing multiple choice questions in undergraduate<br/>nursing education. After using both computer-based testing and a student response system to<br/>complete multiple choice questions, 192 first year undergraduate nursing students rated their<br/>preferences and attitudes towards using computer-based testing and a student response system.<br/>Results indicated that seventy four percent felt the student response system was easy to use.<br/>Fifty six percent felt the student response system took more time than the computer-based testing<br/>to become familiar with. Sixty Percent felt computer-based testing was more users friendly.<br/>Seventy Percent of students would prefer to take a multiple choice question summative exam<br/>via computer-based testing, although Fifty percent would be happy to take using student response<br/>system. Results are useful for undergraduate educators in relation to student’s preference<br/>for using computer-based testing or student response system to undertake a summative<br/>multiple choice question exam