OMR and Barcode Technologies: Empowering Education
Elizabeth Greenfield · T.H.E. Journal Technological Horizons in Education · 1992
Optical mark readers can save hundreds of dollars and hours of time by automating grading, attendance, survey and numerous other tasks. carry the effectiveness of OMR technology further, and realize greater cost reductions, many institutions are also exploiting newly available software that creates and prints scanning forms. In addition, barcode technology is assisting in library materials management, inventory control, even food service in schools. Bar codes are used in courseware, specifically by videodisc manufacturers, as a means to quickly and easily access particular curriculum segments. * A Few Introductions There are two new OMR units on the market. The first is the OpScan 7 from National Computer Systems (NCS). The OpScan 7 automatically separates selected documents while scanning the remaining pages unattended. Up to 300 forms can be automatically fed through the scanner at 50 sheets per minute. Another feature is 16-level mark evaluation. Included software directs document flow to either the main or alternate output tray, as determined by the user. And a detector ensures that multiple sheets are not read as one. Other options are ink-read capabilities for scanning both pen and pencil marks; a dual-side, pencil- or ink-read head for two-sided document scanning; and a bar code reader for merging barcode and optical mark data from the same form into a single output record. Scantron Corp.'s latest offering is designed for high-volume applications. The Model 8910 reads both sides of up to 10,000 8.5 x documents per hours. A continuous-load, automatic document feeder; non-interrupting single-sheet insertion capability; and three programmable output hoppers are but a few of its highlights. Equipped with a dual-read head, the Model 8910 can print messages on the forms it scans based on information it reads from them. A built-in Forms Translator will internally convert data into fixed-length ASCII records. 'We couldn't do this if we didn't have this software.' Numerous options are available for this unit, which is powered by a 386SX processor, including a filtered readhead for ink recognition, integrated barcode identification, and an internal dot-matrix printer for serialized numbering and certification printing. * Making It on Our Own The last year has seen a significant increase in the number of software programs on the market that allow institutions to create their own forms. With these tools, significant cost savings can be realized. For DOS computers, Bubble Publishing software from Scanning Dynamics, Inc. lets users develop tests and surveys on a personal computer, print them on a laser printer, scan them using standard OMR scanners and score them. An adjunct, the Designer Module, enables teachers to design tests on any computer, not just the one connected to their OMR scanner. In Menominee, Mich., Francis Zuraski, the administrative assistant for the school district, has been using Bubble Publishing with NCS' OpScan 5 and Victoria, Minn.-based Scanning Systems' HEI 360 scanners. The district is developing assessment tools to review its math curriculum. accomplish this, Zuraski is designing a learning mastery checklist for teachers. This entails one form for teachers at each grade level, a total of 13 different forms. In addition, criterion-referenced testing on a district level is being implemented. Currently, state tests are administered generally once each third year. Explains Zuraski, To respond educationally to the needs ot these kids, we can't wait three years. So Bubble Publishing helps generate 11 forms per year that expand a local-level quality control system. Zuraski asserts that, We couldn't do this if we didn't have this software. Cost savings to Menominee are substantial. Development costs alone are $200 to $300 per form. …