Should CAA software be developed in-house or bought in?

Developing a CBA authoring shell can result in a tailored, flexible assessment package. However, depending to an extent on the delivery method, such development usually requires a large investment of time as well as the need for on-going support and maintenance. Therefore, it is worth checking to see whether existing software (for development and, where appropriate, content) would satisfy your needs.

Most OMR software in use in higher education is provided by commercial companies. It would be time-consuming and may represent a duplication of effort to develop your own. Companies may tailor OMR software to your needs.

Issues related to choosing CAA packages:

A number of institutional CBA development projects (many of which have been funded by higher education initiatives) offer free or relatively inexpensive assessment tools, which do not require the purchase of costly site licences. However, potential users should consider the following questions:

• Does the software come with support?
• Is it upgraded regularly?
• Will the software be maintained after the project finishes?
• Is there any recourse open to the user if the software fails to perform adequately during an examination?

The alternative is to invest in a commercial package which may be costly but should provide support and maintenance.