Method and system for computer based testing using an amalgamated resource file

• US 7,784,045 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2005
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Prometric, LLC
• Original Assignee: Prometric Inc. (Educational Testing Service)
• Inventors: Bowers, Clarke D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nahar; Qamrun
• Application Number:
  US11/208,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 717/168, 717/124, 717/125, 434/323, 434/350
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/06 with both visual and audible presentation of the material to be studied
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

A method and system for computer-based testing that includes a storage device that has a first storage location, which stores a first segment of a test definition language, and a second storage location, which stores a second segment of the test definition language, a validation expansion module that validates the first segment and the second segment of the test definition language, a test packager that amalgamates the first storage location and the second storage location and transmits the amalgamated segment to the validation expansion module such that the validation expansion module can determine whether the amalgamated segment forms a complete and valid set, and a test driver that has an executable code that controls functionality that enables the test driver to deliver the test to an examinee. The computer-based test provides for producing a test and delivering the test to an examinee.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for computer based testing for at least one test executed by a computer, the computer-implemented method comprising:

defining computer based test data content in at least two memory locations wherein a first memory location stores identification and initialization data for a plugin element and a second memory location stores information that defines actual usage of the plugin element on at least one unit of the at least one test; and

amalgamating the test data content defined in the at least two memory locations by at least one test driver executed by the computer such that the data content exists virtually as one storage location even though the data content resides at different locations comprising the at least two memory locations and delivering the at least one test to an examinee, and wherein the amalgamating further comprises amalgamating the data content to exist virtually by at least one of embedding the data content as an object and linking the data content with a pointer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising validating the data content with the plugin element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein amalgamating stores the data content in an object-linking and embedding (OLE) structured storage format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the test driver is an executable program that creates and delivers the at least one computer based test and the plugin element expands the functionality of the test driver.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising overriding an earlier defined element with a later defined element of the same name during amalgamation of elements.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising instantiating the plugin utilized by a test driver that delivers the at least one computer based test, wherein amalgamated data provides information to the plugin to provide instructions executed by the test driver on how and what to deliver for the at least one computer based test.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the amalgamating links the data content stored in the at least two memory locations using a pointer to the first and second locations of the data content.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a compound document, and wherein the amalgamating further comprises amalgamating the data content to exist virtually by at least one of embedding the data content as an object in the compound document and linking the data content with a pointer.

9. A computer-implemented method for computer based testing for at least one test executed by a computer, the at least one test having a presentation format and data content, the computer-implemented method comprising:

validating by a plugin at least partial exam source information that is received;

amalgamating, by the computer, exam resource data associated with the at least one test such that the data associated with the at least one test exists virtually as one storage location even though the data resides at different memory locations and validating the exam resource data that has been amalgamated to provide an amalgamated exam specification and content; and

delivering the amalgamated exam specification and content validated by the validating step, and wherein the amalgamating further comprises amalgamating the data content to exist virtually by at least one of embedding the data content as an object and linking the data content with a pointer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the validating step further comprises the step of validating by the plugin the at least partial exam source information that is received during compilation of the at least one test.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the validating step further comprises the step of amalgamating the exam resource data associated with the at least one test, and validating the exam resource data that has been amalgamated to provide the amalgamated exam specification and content during test compilation.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the delivering further comprises the step of delivering the amalgamated exam specification and content during delivery of the at least one test to an examinee.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein amalgamating stores the data in an object-linking and embedding (OLE) structured storage format.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising overriding an earlier defined element with a later defined element of the same name during amalgamation of elements.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising instantiating the plugin utilized by a test driver that delivers the at least one computer based test, wherein amalgamated data provides information to the plugin to provide instructions executed by the test driver on how and what to deliver for the at least one computer based test.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the test driver is an executable program that creates and delivers the at least one computer based test and the plugin element expands the functionality of the test driver.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the amalgamating links the data content stored in at least two memory locations using a pointer to the first and second locations of the data content.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising creating a compound document, and wherein the amalgamating further comprises amalgamating the data content to exist virtually by at least one of embedding the data content as an object in the compound document and linking the data content with a pointer.

19. A computer-implemented method for delivering, by a computer, at least one computer based test comprising:

validating data for at least one computer based test with a plugin;

amalgamating the data for at least one computer based test such that the data associated with the at least one computer based test exists virtually as one virtual storage location even though the data resides at different memory locations, wherein common data for at least one computer based test appears once even if used more than one time in delivering the at least one computer based test;

instantiating the plugin utilized by a test driver executed by the computer that delivers the at least one computer based test, wherein amalgamated data provides information to the plugin to provide executed by the test driver to deliver the at least one computer based test, and wherein the amalgamating further comprises amalgamating the data content to exist virtually by at least one of embedding the data content as an object and linking the data content with a pointer.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the validation checks that the data for the at least one computer based test is correctly formatted.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the test driver is an executable program that delivers the at least one computer based test and the plugin expands the functionality of the test driver.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein amalgamating stores the data in an object-linking and embedding (OLE) structured storage format.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising overriding an earlier defined element with a later defined element of the same name during amalgamation of elements.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the plugin is a component object model (COM) object and exists as at least one of an executable (.exe) files and a dynamic link library (All) files.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the amalgamating links the data content stored in at least two memory locations using a pointer to the first and second locations of the data content.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising creating a compound document, and wherein the amalgamating further comprises amalgamating the data content to exist virtually by at least one of embedding the data content as an object in the compound document and linking the data content with a pointer.