The technological framework of the diagnostic assessment system: The eDia online platform

Abstract

Technological development significantly influences learning and instruction. It has already offered numerous new possibilities and in the future even more significant changes can be expected. Applying technology raises important questions relating to the teaching and learning processes fundamentally based on the personal interaction between the teacher and the student. One of the greatest challenges for educators is to make the activities generally taking place in whole-class settings effective and tailor-made for the individual students. An essential condition of this process is frequent and accurate assessment to map where each student is in his or her progress in the different fields of development. It is this problem that eDia online assessment platform helps resolve by providing teachers with the tools of individualized development. The aim of the present study is to introduce the technological framework of eDia platform. The major milestones of electronic testing as well as the organizational framework of the development of eDia platform will be reviewed. While discussing the structure of eDia, the user interface together with the main functions and features of the system supporting educational practices and enhancing testing quality will be accentuated. Among these, besides the diverse possibilities of item development, response and scoring types and the structure of personalized feedback, tracking student progress will also be highlighted. The opportunities lying in the teacher test modules assisting and supporting class integration of the platform will be encompassed as well as the long-term goals of system development concerning the educational processes at school.