Domain Testing: Divide and Conquer - Testing Education

This first version of the advertisement helped me get subjects for pilot
studies (formative evaluation). The pilot studies were conducted for 15 hours. After
the pilot studies, it was realized that 15 hours were not enough to successfully
complete the training and that we were falling short by at least three hours. Thus,
the training time was extended to 18 hours.
The “Call for Participation” contents were revised and a new version was
circulated inviting test subjects for the final experiment. The revised version is
included in Appendix W. Again, both flyers and e-mails to open forums were used
as media for communication.
To begin with, I had planned out schedules of the training sessions in four
successive weeks. When prospective candidates responded to the advertisement, I
interviewed them to determine if they had the required prerequisites. If they did
satisfy the prerequisites, I explained briefly what the training sessions were and
what they were required to do. I then assigned the candidates to one of the four
training sessions depending on their availability.
I sent out e-mail confirmations about the dates and times each candidate
was scheduled for. I also sent out e-mail reminders to candidates five days before
the Monday of their scheduled training week, specifically telling them to confirm
their attendance so that in case they were unable to attend, I would have sufficient
time to look for some other suitable candidates to fill their spot.
5.04 Facilities Used for the Experiment
Computer-aided classrooms were used for the training sessions. Classrooms had to
be booked in advance. Having computers in the classroom was very useful,
especially when the students had to solve exercises and test questions on the
computer. The instructor terminal was also connected to a projector that projected
the computer screen image on a large screen that faced the students.
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