Are Computer Adaptive Tests suitable for assessment in MOOCs

Assessment is one of the basic issues in both formal and informal educational contexts. Current online courses are massive and online, thus it is important to find new strategies for improve the effectiveness of evaluation. In MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), indeed, there is also the certification of knowledge and skills acquisition that requires more formal and trustworthy methods. Researchers should work to combine pedagogical and technological solutions to guarantee the effectiveness of learning measures. In this context, the Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) could be useful to better measure the knowledge acquisition using a quiz, as usually happens in MOOCs. These are the premises of this research work that, in order to understand if CAT could be suitable for assessment in MOOCs, proposes a first algorithm to measure the acquired knowledge using a quiz-game. The pilot study attests the appreciation of users.