Multimedia Assessment of Social Communicative Competence, 6(1)

Abstract

For many professionals, mastery of adequate and effective interpersonal communication skills is of vital importance nowadays. Thus, assessing and improving the communication competence of students are issues of interest in training situations. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of diagnostic multimedia assessment of communication competence of first-year radiological technology students. For this purpose, a series of ten multimedia tests was developed and put on the Internet, enabling flexible use. Each test contained a video conversation, where fragments were alternated with questions. We supposed that individually working at one’s own pace behind a computer screen, being able to see a videotaped real-life setting, as well as getting immediate elaborate feedback after answering questions would be appreciated by students who grew up in a multimedia world. First, we examined how students value working with multimedia communication tests. As was expected, we found that students showed a great deal of enthusiasm with respect to the multimedia test, reporting that they liked to make use of the test. Next, we wanted to know if participation in the multimedia test would improve the results on their final regular end of the school year exam on communication competence. Therefore, we offered part of the student population the opportunity to participate in the multimedia test. The control group did not get this opportunity. We compared the results on the regular school exam of both groups and noticed that there was a slight difference. Although no strong significant effects were found, we believe that the regular use of multimedia tests can improve the students’ communication competence in a way that is attractive for both students and their coaches.