Using student performance to judge the difficulty of examinations

Abstract

This contribution focuses on a scheme developed to characterize the level of difficulty of an examination in the course `Linear Algebra for Engineers´and on the transfer of the underlying idea to a similar scheme for examinations in the course `Analysis I for Engineers¨. Using these schemes, it is possible to define standards for examinations without standardizing the examination questions.The proposed schemes depend on experience gained by working with students and on an analysis of student performance in previous examinations.