Development Of An Auto-testing System Of Computer Application Basic Courses Based On LAN

Computer Application basic course is one of compulsory courses for students whose major are not computer science in many universities. Its instructional scale is so large and its instructional contents is so numerous that it is difficult for examinatorial origination and management. So, I develop a test system applying VB mainly which can be applied the LAN environment based on C/S (Now the system is in use). The test-system consolidates test-transaction and test-process management, which improves standardization and actualizes high efficiency and fairness.Test system is divided into three subsystems, that is: 1) Subsystem of test questions maintenance used by teachers. It manages the database of test questions. Teachers key in all kinds of test questions, including choice topic, typing topic , Windows operating topic, Word operating topic, Excel operating topic and Network operating topic , and assign points for each test question. 2) Test subsystem used by students. It has the following functions: auto test questions extraction, time keeping, auto-grading, etc. 3) monitoring subsystem used by examiners. Once the test process begins, examiners can view every computer's status and control every computer by wholescale (including logging off, resetting, powering off, locking, saving and handing in for students). Once the test process ends, teachers can grade and summary automatically. At last, scores are saved into Access database. Then scores are imported into Excel file and reported.The key technology and way are explained in detail in this paper(1) Applying fashionable building model tool (Rational Rose) to design request model, design model and implement model in detail and fully applying its forward direction and backward direction function to make models and codes synchronistically in course of developing system, in order that development process, change of requirement can be handled timely.(2) Applying object-oriented design model theory to build model and develop, in order to enhance the codes'rate of reusing,model's robust and adaptability to users'requirements changing.(3) It is difficult to integrate normal mail server and WEB server with this test-system. So we can't obtain examinees'operativity directly and can't grade automatically. But the test-system based on Winsock actualizes the mail server and Web server which are fit to trace examinees'operativity of network, which applies POP3,SMTP and HTTP and combines concrete test points.(4) Applying TCP/IP and Winsock to develop monitoring subsystem. To balance the net load in examination hall, the monitoring system distributes monitor function based on DCOM, that is, every function can be run both on client and on server.(5) To use identical codes for many times, the system develops normal functions into controls and COM components, which makes it easy to convert from C/S to B/S for test system.This test system has been put into practices and its practical effect has been proven to be good. The system truly realizes non-paper, the automated test for computer application basic course,especially to the operation kind of test questions , completely realizes the automation ,the intellectualized judgment . It is a good helper for improving the quality of teaching, and has been sung high praise by the teachers and students.At last, some drawbacks in the test system are discussed and researchable content in future are pointed out.