Service creates computerized testing aids

Service creates computerized testing aids

Students applaud Kaplan Center’s new multimedia internet
program

By Allyssa Lee

In an effort to increase availability and garner student
publicity, Kaplan Educational Center has recently announced the
introduction of a comprehensive multimedia internet service.

Computer literate students may find the computerized test
preparation courses an easy way to prepare for college and graduate
schools’ admissions tests.

Kaplan InterActive, the multimedia division of the Kaplan test
preparation centers, is allowing public access of various test
preparation resources to servers on the Internet World Wide
Web.

Kaplan on the internet offers more than 250 documents on a
myriad of subjects ranging from college admissions information to
sample test questions. Test preparation experts also answer
students’ questions on e-mail in their "Ask X-Pert" program.

The program’s computer accessibility and free service are
considered a valuable commodity, UCLA students said.

"It makes it easier to get the information that you need,
especially for people who are really familiar with computers," said
Paul Kim, a third-year cybernetics student. "Working on a computer
is a lot better than having to write things down on paper."

Kaplan officials said the decision to move to an interactive
medium was a natural process in an era of multimedia
technology.

"We had to get on the web because that’s where the general
direction (of modern technology) is going," said Ed Potter, project
manager of Kaplan InterActive. "Now we can link (our service) to
25,000 students."

Presently the service is reaching only a few thousand people
worldwide, but eventually Kaplan expects to handle thousands of
people a day on the web, said Potter.

"It’s an international resource for students to link to other
sites on the internet so they can get smarter," Potter said.

Some students stressed the convenience of computerized test
preparations.

"It’s easily accessible and it can help a lot of people at one
time, which is good," said Helena Kim, a fourth-year business
economics student. "At Towell you have to wait in line to get (the
test preparation material)."

Kaplan on the internet is the preparation center’s second
attempt at providing an on-line service for students. The first
project, Kaplan On-line, made its debut in August 1994. In January
1994 however, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) filed a lawsuit
against the test preparation service for releasing test questions
and violating the nationwide test distribution service’s
communication privacy laws.

According to ETS officials, students were releasing test
questions to one another on the on-line system.

However, ETS officials said they had no qualms about the current
internet test preparation service.

"(Kaplan) has a variety of test preparation programs. This is
another way of reaching the public. They’re free to use whatever
medium they want. Our suit is about stolen test items ­
they’re not allowed to release them on anything," said Kevin
Gonzalez, spokesman for ETS.