Computer‐aided assessment in statistics: The CAMPUS project

Abstract

This paper describes the specification, features and implementation of computer‐aided assessment software designed primarily for conducting assessments in Statistics but equally applicable to other quantitative disciplines. The CAMPUS (Computer Aided Marking Program Using Spreadsheets) package has been developed in Microsoft Excel so as to provide a familiar computing environment for both assessors and students. The principal feature of CAMPUS is the facility for setting questions containing random elements (including random graphs), so that each student sits essentially the same questions but with different answers. This helps to eliminate plagiarism and allows a single test to be used many times, either for reassessment or additional practice. CAMPUS has been implemented in a higher‐education context but could also be used at school level