Tests being developed by researchers at SIUC will train computer repair technicians to be more efficient, a professor in curriculum and instruction says.

SIUC researchers are working with computer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard to develop basic skills tests that will make the company’s repair technicians more knowledgeable and efficient, William C. Coscarelli, an SIUC professor of curriculum and instruction said.

Leanne Furby, research associate in instructional design, said the project will help the University, Hewlett-Packard and the researchers involved.

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This project is beneficial on all sides, Furby said. Our project is helping to improve SIUC’s reputation because of the corporate exposure, and Hewlett-Packard gets their global testing done.

The tests will contain basic computer information on current and future Hewlett-Packard products, Coscarelli, who is also Hewlett-Packard director of World-Wide Test Development said.

Anything from how to fix a laser printer or how to install a server on the Internet will be covered on the tests, Coscarelli said. Coscarelli said the purpose of the tests is to inform and certify all Hewlett-Packard repair technicians.

We are developing tests that will allow Hewlett-Packard repair people to come out and correctly fix a problem 80 percent of the time, Coscarelli said. The tests will also make sure that the repair people have knowledge of the latest products. So they will not have to learn either by experience or as they go along.

The tests Coscarelli and his colleague, Sharon A. Shrock, associate professor of curriculum, are producing will be the first of their kind, Coscarelli said.

The tests are unique in that they will be submitted on a global basis, Coscarelli said. The other aspect that makes them original is that they will be accessed all over the world by computers.

Coscarelli said he will be writing the test questions.

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Even though I am not familiar with computer technology, I don’t necessarily have to be, Coscarelli said. My task is to create tests based on the information they provide me with. My field of study is testing strategies.

Michelle L. Kadella, SIUC research associate in instructional design, said Hewlett-Packard will decide which information will be used on the tests. The company will also rate the information according to difficulty and job description.

Subject matter experts at Hewlett-Packard rank the information according to skill level, Kadella said. We decide the wording and the placement of that information.

Coscarelli said the main function of the tests is not to sort people into different categories of knowledge but to bring all of the Hewlett-Packard technicians to the same level of performance. Shrock said one of her priorities is to control the quality of the tests to make sure they are not too easy or too difficult.

I advise on the technical appropriateness of the items on the tests and see that they are at the right skill level, Shrock said. We want to make sure the questions are objective for the people who will be taking them.

Shrock said she will also try to make sure the tests are not predictable.

People who know little about the information being presented on a given test can still do well on it because of predictable test strategies, Shrock said. Any number of possibilities, such as grammatical cues or prior questions giving cues for future questions, can inflate scores. We want the participants to perform solely on skill alone.

The future goal of the researchers is to create tests in different categories for different job levels, Shrock said.

Right now we are making tests for repair technicians, Shrock said. In the future, we will specialize categories of tests to deal with areas such as memorization or analysis. Also, we will prepare material which will be intended for people at different cognitive levels.