Re: Let us test

[Kris Olberg <kjolberg -at- IX -dot- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

At 03:28 PM 9/9/96 -0400, you wrote:
>Kris Olberg wrote:

>> Wolf, pictures should be allowed. A test of professional ability
>> should not
>> restrict the tools used.

>Actually, I would be game for having whatever restrictions the test
>designer [I think that is the job description] thinks fit. Only I would
>ask that the situation be as realistic as possible besides being
>generic, or requiring no field-specific knowledge or whatever ... I
>mean, haven't all of us had to do something with a less-than-optimum
>tool due to some real world constraint or other: "the client has Word
>2.01a, so we *have* to use the same or lower" was the first thing I came
>up against in my professional life. But yes, the restrictions should
>have been made clear in the test question.

>Sabahat.

[I'm posting at the risk of dragging this thread into an area not related to
technical communication.}

If the purpose of the test is to assess technical communication skills, then
the test designer should not limit tools. If the purpose is to assess
adaptive skills, then restrictions are in order. To belabor the point, a
test should be designed according to specific objectives. If you want to
assess BOTH communication and adaptive skills, these should be covered using
two scenarios, not one.
Regards...Kris
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