Computer-aided assessment (CAA) has been extensively discussed in these columns. At the University of Surrey the Department of Mathematics and Statistics has been using the web-based system Maple T.A. over the past year. (T.A. stands for ‘Testing and Assessment’.) In February 2003 we linked up with Maplesoft’s Canadian headquarters for an online seminar and were impressed by this new product’s ability to accept alternative forms of an answer using the power of the computer algebra software Maple to compare a student’s response with the correct one. As stated on Maplesoft’s website “Maple T.A. supports complex free-form entry and intelligent evaluation of responses”. We felt that this product from an established name in academic computing was more likely to be successful in the long term than a locallydeveloped system. Previously we had used the Question Mark Designer and Presenter software which was effective and easy to use but which for nonnumeric answers is based on string matching so that only the precise specified form of each answer will be accepted.
