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Unit 25 : Use of Computer in Evaluation

teaches the topic with the help of most appropriate teaching aids. This helped in improving the Notes
quality of teaching in schools having no teacher to teach the subject, less competent teacher,
schools having poor or no facility of teaching aids, etc. Programmes offered through television
were produced by different State Institute of Educational Technology (SIET) in different languages.
Even the Video Instructional Materials were produced and made available to teachers; still majority
of schools did not make use of them. Some of the reasons were no facility of TV and VCR, no
electricity, TV and VCR not in working condition, not incorporated in the time table, lack of
initiation on the part of teacher and Principal, etc. Along with A - V Aids, the print media has to
go a long way in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Format in which the textbooks
were written was not beneficial for teachers and students. Researchers started thinking and using
different Theories of Learning for developing Instructional Material.

25.1 Use of Computer

The lust for quality is still on. This is the age of INFORMATION dominated by the Digital
Technology. The Digital Technology has influenced all aspects of human life. Education is not an
exception. At present majority of devices are based on Digital Technology. One such device is
Computer. The Computer is an electronic device that has the capacity to store, retrieve & process
both qualitative & quantitative information fast and accurately. The computers were never
developed for improving quality of teaching - learning process. But researchers started using
Computers for teaching purpose. It gave birth to Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI), Computer
Managed Instruction (CMI), Computer Based Instruction (CBI), etc. People started developing
CAI for teaching different subjects at School as well as Higher Education level. The developed
CAIs were compared with the Lecture Method / Traditional Method and found that the developed
CAIs were significantly superior to Lecture Method / Traditional Method in teaching different
subjects Hart, 1992). In spite of benefit of CAI in different aspects of learning, CAI has not entered
into the Classrooms as most of the developed CAIs were not based on sound Theories of Learning.
People involved in developing CAI were not having the sound base of Instructional Design.
Secondly, the courses are changing, the schools also do not have sufficient computer facility,
teachers are not trained in the use of CAI, etc. The use of Computers was not only for teaching
but also for Psychological Testing, Evaluation; database Management, Library Manaqement, etc.

Now the technology is in the process of change from Digital to Photon. Shortly
Photonic Technology will be available for the use of the society.

25.2 Information Technology

Networking of computers gave birth to Information Technology (IT). UNESCO considered
Information Technology as “Scientific, technological and engineering disciplines and management
techniques used in information handling and processing, their application, computers and their
interaction with men and machines, and associated social, economical and cultural matters”.
According to Smith & Cambell (1982), a mosaic of technologies, products and techniques have
combined to provide new electronic dimensions to information management. This mosaic is
known by the name of Information Technology. OECD (1987) treated Information Technology as
“a term - used to cover technologies used in the collection, processing and transmission of
information. It includes micro-electronic and info-electronic based technologies incorporated in
many products and production processes and increasingly affecting the service sector. It covers
inter alias computers, electronic office equipment, telecommunication, industrial robot and
computer controlled machine, electronic components and software products.”
Darnton and Giacoletto (1992) defined IT as the systematic study of artifacts that can be used to
give form or description to facts in order to provide meaning or support for decision making,

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