Impact of students’ behavior on continuous assessment in Higher Education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze students’ academic results following the introduction of a continuous assessment system in Higher Education. This study examines a large sample that consists of third-year students’ grades across nine subjects in the Bachelor of Business Administration program at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). Specifically, this paper studies the relations among three types of grades (i.e. final exam grades (FEGs), continuous assessment activities grades (excluding the final exam) and GAGs, which are calculated as the weighted averages of the FEGs and the continuous assessment activities grades) and the influence of the number of students who actively participate in a subject and the date of the final exam on students’ grades. Generally, this study reveals a positive effect of continuous assessment activities on students’ academic success. Furthermore, there is a statistically significant positive relation between the number of students who actively follow a subject and their GAGs. Finally, the earlier the students completed the final exam, the higher their grades were on this exam.