Computer Management and Search of Instructional Objectives and Test Items.

Abstract

This paper describes the technical problems which emerged in constructing a computer program for the management of instructional objectives and evaluative testitems. Instructional information expressed in written Japanese normally requires the use of forty-eight symbols of the Japanese syllabaric system (katakana), more than 2, 000 Japanese-Chinese characters (kanji), plus tables, figures, etc. For the purpose of facilitating their management within such a complicated system, major instructional objectives and evaluative testitems were divided into such sub-items as were considered to be elementaly components of instructional information. The structure and relationships of these sub-items were described by various statements selected from these sub-items. Describing structure separately from contentin this way facilitated in the revision, editing and reconstructing of both objectives and testitems. To check the validity of this method, approximately 600 objectives and more than 1,200 testitems for mathematics were stored in a computer system. It was confirmed thatby using this computer system, one could easily structure instructional objectives, relate them to corresponding evaluative testitems, search for desired items, and reorganize the entire structure of the subitems.