Warning: This tool is new and has some rough edges! We've tested it and (as far as we can tell) it works correctly when used correctly. However, it's not particulary user-friendly if you don't fill in required form fields, provide text files in an incorrect format, etc. If you get strange error messages, let us know and we'll help you out.

Steps in scoring an exam:

1. Create an exam specification file for your exam.

   Input: details about your exam (number of versions and questions, scoring rule(s) to use, question weighting factors, and general labeling information. (Provided via web forms.) Correct answers can be indicated here or provided by scanned answer keys included with students' response data.

   Output: an XML file describing your exam, which you save to your local hard disk.

   You can skip this step if you already have a proper XML file describing your exam, perhaps from an earlier use of this tool, or perhaps by constructing the file yourself.

2. Parse the datafile created by your bubble-sheet scanner into a file of student responses.

   Input: a text file generated by your bubble-sheet scanner in a mode where it generates two-digit codes representing all marks made in answer bubbles (even if more than one mark is made for an answer).

   Output: a tab-delimited text file containing your students' responses to all questions as letters (rather than cryptic numerical codes), suitable for opening in a spreadsheet application such as Excel. You save this file to your local hard disk.

3. Score the student responses against the exam spec.

   Input: the XML exam specification file and tab-delimited student response file generated in the previous two steps.

   Output: a tab-delimited text file containing your students' scores (for each question and for the exam as a whole), suitable for opening in a spreadsheet application such as Excel. You save this file to your local hard disk; it is the final "product" of this tool.

Questions about the logic of EDC? Contact Bill Leonard.

Questions about the web-based tools? Contact Ian Beatty.