Formative e-Assessment in Engineering Education

Abstract

This paper presents a pedagogical practice introduced to second-year undergraduate Electrical and Electronic Engineering students to enhance learning and understanding during the classes. The practice consisted of four formative, objective-type e-assessments taken in two months. Each assessment followed a two-week teaching period. During the e-tests, the students used their notes and worked in groups or independently. Each test included a small number of problems in Electronics uploaded at the course's web page. The assessments were not competitive, and the students were allowed to discuss the solutions with the tutor during the problem-solving session. After the fourth test, the students evaluated the practice by answering a survey. The responses showed high satisfaction with the e-assessment, student retention during classes and active participation. The e-assessment increased students' engagement through interactive learning in a non-competitive environment, followed by a moderate improvement in the final examinations' grades. This paper highlights the opportunity to mobilise students' active participation in the lectures and bring closer teaching, learning and assessment with the help of the Learning Management System (LMS).