Question and test interoperability: an update on national and international developments

Will the question banks you are creating be accessible in future years when the assessment system you use is no longer supported? Can student assessment data be transferred from your assessment system to your institution’s student records systems? Interoperability is, or should be, of concern to all those serious about implementing CAA. The IMS Consortium is developing standards for the interoperability of educational systems. A significant part of the Consortium’s work concerns question and test interoperability (QTI). Version 1.1 of the QTI specification was produced in 2000 and is beginning to be adopted by software developers. This paper examines the latest enhancements to the IMS QTI specification and plans for its future development. It also reports on the work of the JISC-funded CETIS QTI Special Interest Group which is bringing together UK CAA developers and implementers across further and higher education.