Inside Higher Ed :: More Than IM and MP3

Update on a LibraryStory from back in November.

Inside Higher Ed :: More Than IM and MP3
Many students these days prefer instant messaging to phone calls, and music downloads (legal or otherwise) to music purchases. But students’ agility with those technologies doesn’t necessarily mean they can tell a quality online source from an advertisement. Or that they know how to use e-mail to communicate effectively.

Measuring those skills — and helping colleges plan curricular and library offerings accordingly — is the goal of a new standardized test that the Educational Testing Service is now opening up to widespread use, with the first such administration scheduled for January. The exam — which is designed for placement and evaluation, not admissions — has been in a testing period with a small group of colleges.

The Information and Communication Technology Assessment, as the test is known, can be scored individually and colleges can receive aggregate scores. The test was first announced last year, but a number of changes have been made based on early administrations of the exam.