The e-assessment concept of the TiHo Hannover

In 2005 the TiHo Hannover started the strategic use of technology enhanced learning and assessment to raise the quality as also the efficiency of veterinary education. 

As a diagnostic test the selection procedure of the university is done since 2006 with 180 psychological questions in 30 minutes. Overall 1,094 out of 14,107 candidates were chosen like this1 . As formative testing since 2005 virtual patients were voluntarily used by more than 75% of the students2 . In the same time audience response systems gave the possibility of anonymous feedback in lectures for groups of up to 270 students3 . In 2013 for the first time a progress-test with 136 TypeA MCQs was performed at 5 German-speaking universities. At the TiHo 113 students voluntarily took part in it. For summative assessment the Q[kju:] system is used to test up to 270 students in the lecture halls. By now more than 200 exams with more than 25,000 students were done4 . Item formats are: MCQ TypeA (combined with media files), Picture analysis and Key Feature-Questions5 .

Using technology enhanced assessment helped to raise the quality (reliability and validity) of the tests and to give feedback to bigger groups of students. After a short phase of irritation during the change the acceptance among the students and teachers was very good.

At the moment e-assessment at the TiHo is focused on assessing knowledge. In summer 2014 eOSCEs will be implemented for skills assessment and in near future encounter cards for the assessment of attitudes.