Page 109 - Universitas Terbuka Center of Excellence In Asia 2010 and The World 2020 (A Journey Towards a Leading Open and Distance Education Institution 1984-2008)

were executed by using application in item bank system . Test papers produced
were copied at Examination Center and distributed to all Regional Offices.

Item bank is a kind of setting to pool or deposit selected and calibrated
items that could be assembled to become a set of test. Item bank is built in

order to increase effectiveness and efficiency in providing test papers. UT
initially developed item bank in 1996. In 1998, UT appointed a team which

actively developed item bank by attempting to increase item test quality,
choosing type examination appropriate to abilities or skills measured,

coordinating selection , revision and development of test items , examining
opportunities in using computer in examination. Item bank system has flexibility

in providing tests based on number of item in a set of test, scope of content, and
level of difficulty.

At this time , the items for objective test are collected and computerized in
application of item bank, meanwhile the items of the essay test still collected and

pooled manually. The objective test items which are collected have been
analyzed and reviewed . Each item for each subject is classified on the basis of

subtopic and topic, level of cognitive domain or level of thinking , level of
difficulty, and index of item discrimination. Level of difficulty can be identified by

expert judgment and statistical analysis using iteman analysis program. Index of
item discrimination can be recognized by statistical analysis using iteman

analysis program. In 2005 , the number of items were collected were about
322.000 items from 662 subjects, or in average there were about 500 items per

subject. For each semester, UT conducts the process of test item assembling for
each subject referring to each subject test specification (test blue print). This

item bank system can enhance the quality of assessment, especially increasing
the effectiveness and efficiency in providing of test papers. However, item bank

system, collection and assembling system still have to be upgraded and improved
in order to enhance services in examination .

89