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Computer-assisted assessment of free-text answers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2009

Diana Pérez-Marín*
Affiliation:
Language and Computer Systems I Department, Computer Science Faculty, Office 2025, Ampliación del Rectorado Building, Tulipán Street, 28933 Móstoles, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain; e-mail: diana.perez@urjc.es
Ismael Pascual-Nieto*
Affiliation:
Computer Science Department of the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid, Calle Francisco Tomás y Valiente, 11, Cantoblanco 28049, Madrid, Spain
Pilar Rodríguez*
Affiliation:
Computer Science Department of the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid, Calle Francisco Tomás y Valiente, 11, Cantoblanco 28049, Madrid, Spain

Abstract

The automatic assessment of students’ free-text answers has recently received much attention, due to the necessity of exploring and taking advantage of new and more complex computer-based assessment methods. In this paper, a review of the state-of-art of the field is presented, focusing on the techniques that underpin these systems and their evaluation metrics. Although there is still a long way to go so as to reach the ideal system, the fact that the existing systems are already being used commercially and as a second opinion in exams such as GMAT proves the uptake of this field.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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