MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- Like trout in a freshwater river, copies of test exam answer sheets for Marine Corps Institute courses float through the ranks.
With the new random online exam application, referred to as ROLE, the Marine Corps hopes to reinstate the integrity of the courses, most commonly known as MCIs, while increasing their overall value to the Marines who complete them.
Each online exam will be uniquely generated for the individual Marine, allowing MCI to preserve the academic integrity of courses while increasing their academic vigor.
The ROLE application is the latest version of online testing for MCI courses. Marines, with the assistance of training personnel, can use ROLE to take an exam using their command’s unit verification report, or UVR, by logging in to www.mci.usmc.mil/commanduvr.
“This will prevent Marines (from) copying the answer keys from Marines who have already taken a specific course,” said Capt. Peter W. Blair, assistant operations officer, MCI, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. “It’s important for Marines to understand that the tests created by ROLE are no harder than the old paper exams. Marines who have studied their MCI course and completed the review questions will be able to pass the ROLE exam with flying colors.”
MCI testing standards are determined by the skills a Marine needs to perform on the battlefield at a given rank, according to Blair.
“By ensuring that the only Marines who pass MCI courses are the Marines who have mastered the subject matter, we guarantee that only qualified Marines are promoted,” he said.
The ROLE application applies a list of questions called “test banks,” according to Blair. Test banks are compiled of four questions for each of the booklet’s learning objectives. When the student takes the test via the ROLE system, the exam is comprised of one of the four questions previously created for each of the learning objectives.
After the exam is created, testers can sit at the computer and enter answers directly into the system or have the exam proctor print out the exam. The tester can then enter the questions on the computer from the paper version.
Electronically, the Marine can still skip over questions, return to unanswered questions and change answers during progression.
Not to worry, course content and the information Marines are tested on remains the same, according to Blair.
“The only change is that your buddy’s photocopy of his Math for Marines answer sheet from last year is no longer any help if you want to cheat,” said Blair.
In addition to improving the integrity of MCIs, electronic testing provides faster processing.
Currently, depending on duty station, when a Marine mails in a paper exam to MCI, it takes an average of three to eight weeks for the answer sheet to be entered into the system. The time it takes to process can hurt a Marine needing the MCI points to boost their cutting score.
“With ROLE, we improve this timeline from a matter of weeks to a matter of minutes,” said Blair.
Headquarters Marine Corps announced the implementation of the ROLE application to all active MCI courses in MARADMIN 126/07.
According to the message, ROLE provides Marines with instant exam results, completion certificates available for printing within 15 minutes, and automatic updates to the Marine’s Marine Corps Total Force System file within 24 hours.
The implementation of ROLE also helps Marines earn college credits by completing MCIs.
The institute itself is an accredited academic institution, meaning much of the course work completed through the institute is worth college credits.
Often academic institutions choose to accept credits from other school’s based on the reputation of the school in question.
“By enhancing the integrity of our exams, we enhance our standing as a school, and this encourages colleges and vocational schools to give Marines credit for MCI courses,” Blair said.
“I’ve heard Marines say that it doesn’t matter if they know the course material well enough to pass the test, so long as they have the course to use as a reference aid,” said Blair. “To respond to that point, let me ask you: When your convoy is hit with an IED in Al Anbar province, and your buddy is lying in front of you, bleeding to death, do you have five minutes to read on how to apply a tourniquet?”
Unit training personnel may continue to submit completed paper-based answer sheets, but exam graders at Marine Corps’ Headquarters hope the new online process will diminish the more than three tons of answer sheets they receive each month.