Effectiveness of Online Testing versus Traditional Testing: A Comparative Study of Saudi Female College Students

Testing is an effective method to determine learning outcomes for knowledge and skills learning domains. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in test achievements among 50 Saudi female English major students at the College of Languages at Princess Nourah University in Riyadh. The tests were administered using two different methods: paper-based and Blackboard-based (online). Additionally, the study explored the impact of these two test methods on students' achievement in terms of course learning outcomes. The results of the study indicated that there was no significant difference between the two test methods in terms of overall test scores. However, it was found that the Blackboard-based test resulted in slightly higher scores for knowledge domain outcomes, while the paper-based test showed higher scores for skills domain outcomes. The results obtained in this study suggest that both paper-based and Blackboard-based test methods can be equally effective at assessing the general achievement of students. However, the choice of test method may have a slight impact on the specific learning outcomes being assessed, with Blackboard-based tests favouring knowledge domain outcomes and paper-based tests favouring skills domain outcomes. Furthermore, when using Blackboard-based tests, time pressure should be taken into consideration, as it is observed to significantly influence students' performance in both learning domains.