Students ' Perception of Computer Based Test (CBT) for Examining Undergraduate Chemistry Courses

CBT has been seen as an alternative to the unmanageable population of undergraduate students in Nigerian universities. This notwithstanding, the peculiar nature of some courses hinders its total implementation. This study was conducted to investigate the students ’ perception of CBT for undergraduate chemistry courses in University of Ilorin. To this end, it examined the potential for using student feedback in the validation of assessment. A convenience sample of 48 students who had taken test on CBT in chemistry was surveyed and questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis demonstrated an auspicious characteristics of the target context for the CBT implementation as majority (95.8%) of students said they were competent with the use of computers and 75 % saying their computer anxiety was only mild or low but notwithstanding they have not fully accepted the testing mode with only 29.2 % in favour of it, due to the impaired validity of the test administration which they reported as being many erroneous chemical formulas, equations and structures in the test items even though they have nonetheless identified the achieved success the testing has made such as immediate scoring, fastness and transparency in marking. As quality of designed items improves and sufficient time is allotted according to the test difficulty, the test experience will become favourable for students and subsequently CBT will gain its validation in this particular context