TAC Teams with Technology Exam
By Fran Rensbarger
Collaboration between George Mason and a new technology exam reached unexpected
heights recently when Tek.Xam adopted most of the university’s Technology
Across the Curriculum (TAC) goals for its latest version. Tek.Xam, a series of
tests developed by the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges (VFIC), assesses
the technology skills of liberal arts graduates.
The TAC program, which integrates specific technology skills into liberal arts
courses, is a natural partner for Tek.Xam. “George Mason University’s
nationally recognized [TAC] initiative has positioned the institution to provide
insightful advice to VFIC on the relevance of the newly developed content for
Tek.Xam II,” says Tom Stuhlmiller, executive director of Tek.Xam.
The university began its relationship with Tek.Xam in 1998 as a pilot site
for Tek.Xam I. “One of the staff assignments then was to implement pilot
testing as a service for students to self-assess their IT skills,” says Star
Muir, director of the Student Technology Assistance and Resource (STAR) Center.
“Over time, our feedback provided us with a closer relationship to the Tek.Xam
staff, and we were consulted about issues ranging from the length of the exam
to the pricing structure for a national IT test.” George Mason has been pilot
testing the Tek.Xam for three years now, under the auspices of assessment efforts
supported by the Division of Instructional and Technology Support Services and
the STAR Center.
“Of great benefit to us is the fact that [Tek.Xam has] adopted TAC goals
as the goals of the [test] modules,” says Dee Ann Holisky, associate dean
for academic programs for the College of Arts and Sciences. “This means that
the exam will be able to give us information more directly on how well the TAC
program is able to meet its goals of helping improve student technology skills.”
Other benefits of working on the Tek.Xam include providing a way for George
Mason students to assess their IT skills and possibly using Tek.Xam as a part
of the IT assessment package required by the State Council of Higher Education
for Virginia and as a competency requirement for enrolling in upper-level or other
high-tech courses, says Muir.
George Mason will pilot test Tek.Xam II in mid-February. The new form consists
of seven stand-alone modules, each taking 30 minutes to complete: General Computing
Concepts, Word Processing Concepts, Spreadsheets Concepts, Presentation Concepts,
Web Authorship Concepts, Internet Concepts, and Database Concepts. According to
Stuhmiller, the latest version is graded instantly and provides students feedback
on their strengths and weaknesses, relative to test objectives for each module.
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