An e-assessment approach for evaluation in engineering overcrowded groups

Abstract

The construction of the European Higher Education Area has been an adaptation challenge for Spanish universities. New methodologies require a more active role on the students' part and come into conflict with the previous educational model characterised by a high student/professor ratio, a lecture-based teaching methodology and a summative assessment. The use of computers is a key factor to face this situation. In previous works, the authors found that e-assessment was a helpful tool for the diagnostic and formative assessment of mechanics in engineering when working with large groups. The aim of this work was to put forward a global proposal for the assessment of mechanics in engineering with overcrowded groups based on the use of e-assessment in all the diagnostic, formative and summative stages of the assessment process and, in particular, to analyse the extent to which e-assessment could successfully replace the traditional assessment of mechanics in engineering. Sixty students participated in an experiment by answering both a computer multiple-choice e-test and a traditional paper-based problem-solving examination. The results obtained by comparing the two assessment methodologies highlight the idea that both can be considered alternatives from a global perspective, as a significant correlation was observed between the global grades obtained through both tests. However, no equivalent assessment of specific competences was observed, which could be attributed to the fact that the tests evaluated different aspects of the same learning outcome. This work proposes a new assessment approach that considers a combination of traditional and computer-based online activities to achieve a more complete and fair students' evaluation. Furthermore, the new proposal implies a considerably lighter workload for lecturers.