Graz (AU), January 2007 - Applicants for Austrian citizenship living in the State of Carinthia can take the test required of them on the computer on the second Friday of every month. The software that keeps this system running smoothly was designed by the eLearning specialist Dynamic Media.
Computer-assisted citizenship tests
To become Austrian citizens, applicants must have a clean police record, knowledge of German, and be able to support themselves financially. In 2006, the requirements were extended to include a citizenship test. In the southern State of Carinthia (in German, Kärnten), a computerised version of this test has been in use since autumn 2006 with great success. Candidates - most of whom come from former Yugoslavia - must answer eighteen randomly selected questions. Six are on the history of Carinthia, while the rest are about democracy and Austrian history. To pass, candidates must score two-thirds of the maximum possible score or fifty percent in each of the three test sections.
Elearning made simple
The citizenship test can be taken at the Kärntner Verwaltungsakademie in Klagenfurt in the form of a computer-based exam, similar to the theory test for the driver's licence. Test candidates can use one of eleven computer workstations in the seminar room. To make the procedure easy and transparent for candidates and examiners alike, the system uses Dynamic PowerTrainer®, an eLearning program developed by Dynamic Media.
The eighteen questions on each test are dynamically selected from a pool of 200 questions specified by the Austrian government. The results are automatically analysed and immediately forwarded to the citizenship department. Thus candidates immediately know whether they have passed or need to study for the next available test date.
Highly popular
A total of 120 applicants registered for the second test date and made it necessary to divide the candidates into several groups. The test fee is twenty euros.
The Kärntner Verwaltungsakademie is very pleased with the results of the computer-assisted test so far. Simon Korenjak, the director of the Kärntner Verwaltungsakademie, said, "This is the first time in Austria that the citizenship test has been made available on a computer platform. The computer selects different test questions for every candidate, records the answers, displays the score at the end of the test, and prints out a certificate.
In other provinces, this procedure takes several days. We are proud to be leading the field with our computer-based test. The software from Dynamic Media allows us to generate and administer the tests very cost-effectively. The automatic analysis of the test results was a particularly important issue for us. We are sure that we made the right decision in choosing this software."
