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What can e-assessment do for Teaching & Learning?

This article explores the benefits of e-assessment in teaching and learning. It discusses automated marking, fast feedback, and the efficient use of data. The article also highlights examples of successful formative and summative e-assessment implementations, as well as the barriers and challenges associated with e-assessment.

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What can e-assessment do for Teaching & Learning?

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  1. What can e-assessment do for Teaching & Learning? Cliff Beevers and Bill Foster e-Assess Association On behalf of eAA expert panel

  2. Introduction • caa.ecs.soton.ac.uk/Papers/ • Technology to serve Education • Build on research • More complex question & test structure • Fast/accurate feedback • Efficient use of data

  3. Definition E-assessment occurs when there is an automated marking/response, to student input on-screen in a test, informing on the process of answering a question and providing feedback to learners and their teachers through well-crafted advice and reports.

  4. Outline • ARG principles • Successful e-assessment • Other research • Greenwood et al (1998) Int Conf Mathematics / Science Educ and Tech, Vol. 2000, Issue. 1, 2000, 179 • Sandine et al (2005) “The National Assessment of Educational Progress in Online Assessment in Mathematics and Writing” • Ashton et al (2005) BJET, 36(5), 771-787

  5. ARG’s formative principles • Effective planning of T&L • Focus on how students learn • Centre of classroom practice • Promote professional skills • Sensitive/constructive

  6. ARG’s formative principles • Foster motivation • Promote learning goals • Help improve learning • Develop self-assessment • Recognise range of achievement

  7. ARG’s summative principles • Valid: measure appropriate achievements • Reliable: accurate and consistent • Impact: desirable for T&L • Practical: resources provide value

  8. Examples of formative success • ALTA at Primary/Secondary • SCHOLAR at Secondary/Tertiary • Medicine at Dundee • Maths at Newcastle/Birmingham • Physics at Surrey • Open University courses • Professional eg Accountancy

  9. Newcastle Experience: Formative Headlines • Fully integrated e-learning and formative assessment system in the School of Maths & Stats. since 2006. • Used for all M & S modules in first two years as well as some large service courses. • Easy to use, good feedback from students. • Challenging questions at the right level (symbolic input - little or no MCQ). • More opportunities for practising skills • Use: ~4000 students from all three faculties. Around 180,000 sessions so far.

  10. Newcastle: Why? • More formative assignments needed to monitor progress and with timely feedback. • More opportunities for student practice in basic skills needed. • Diversify assignment methods. • Marking issues of standard paper based assignments for first year courses: time, money and uniform standards in marking. • Decided on CBA – biased towards formative assessment based on experience at Brunel, Heriot-Watt and Southampton Universities.

  11. Newcastle:What Happened? • Decided on i-assess, derived from CALM. Developed initially at Heriot-Watt. • School policy developed** Report: Using computer based assessment in first year mathematics and statistics degree courses at Newcastle University: http://mathstore.ac.uk/headocs/Foster_B.pdf • Student engagement high (90% completion of in-course assignments). • Standards have been maintained. • Evidence that 1st year retention improved. • Formative e-Assessment Award Winner (eAssessment Scotland 2010).

  12. Newcastle: Summative Assessments • High volume, high stakes exams using LMSs (Moodle, Blackboard etc). Secure environments with secure databases. • Created SCORM objects from i-assess assessments. • Multi-use across many platforms.

  13. Newcastle: How? i-assess on separate server External World via Web SCORM objects On DVDs Distance learning SCORM Moodle i-assess on Univ Server External World via RAS SCORM Blackboard Clusters University via LAN

  14. Further Example of summative success • CALM/Mathwise formative from 1985 at HW • 1995 research to check on Reliability & Validity • Impact: encouraged use of formative e-resources • Practical: 500 undergraduates tested over week • randomisation • mathematical expressions • steps • provided immediate re-test.

  15. QTI • Benefits: • no lock in to supplier • question sharing potential • Barriers: • reduced range & quality of question types • MCQ + variants too restrictive • lessons not passed on • not appropriate in STEM subjects • lack of adaptive modes

  16. Barriers • Time to create good questions • High initial costs • Poor collaboration history • NIH • Digital divide

  17. PASS-IT in Scotland Collaborative project: HW/LTS/BBC/SFEU/SQA • Explored formative/summative e-testing in post-16 education • Pilots delivered: 6 levels in 1 subject • Variety of levels in 5 other subjects • Support candidates with additional needs • Summary at www.pass-it.org.uk/project_materials.asp

  18. Conclusions • What works in Education? Make that the standard. • E-assessment can: Enhance teaching, improve learning and measure part of it. • Formative: SCHOLAR (Scotland) from 1999 • Research: www.pass-it.org.uk, 2003-5 • Summative: e-NABs from 2006.

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