Connecting assessment to information technology competence

Research has shown that computer-based assessment holds unlimited promise for the future of competency-based assessment in a variety of educational and work settings. Along with the growth of technology based assessment there has been an increasing need for assessment of information technology competence. This research explored the use of computer-based assessment to measure information technology competencies.; The purpose of the study was to analyze the content validity of National Education Training Group (NETg) computer-based assessment software, relative to the Minnesota Information Technology Competency List (MITCL). This was accomplished by developing a NETg assessment, the Minnesota Information Technology Competence Assessment Instrument (MITCAI), that was aligned with the objectives of the MITCL. The utility of NETg was evaluated during a pilot study of an abridged NETg assessment that was administered by Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. The relationship between a pilot test of Skills Assessment Manager (SAM), another assessment software, and the NETg assessment was also analyzed. Participants' self-assessment of their information technology competence, and their grades in a beginning MS Office course, were compared to the assessments to investigate concurrent validity. Predictive factors that were evaluated include demographics and computer related experience.; The assessment instruments did not prove to be valid and reliable for purposes of measuring the entire MITCL. A sub-group of the study sample who participated in the SAM pilot test expressed a preference for the SAM assessment.