Author: Mel Powell, m.j.powell@derby.ac.uk
JISC e-Learning Activity Area: e-Assessment
Higher Education Academy Subject Centre: Business, Management, Accountancy and Finance
This case study illustrates...an effect on learning, an effect on exam results, an effect on student personal development, student satisfaction with e-learning, innovation in learning and teaching, an influence on educational research, staff satisfaction with e-learning, staff personal development, a positive effect on retention
Lessons Learned
Summary and Reflection
The academic literature implies that formative assessments should follow good practice guidelines to be potentially effective. The design of the computer-based formative assessment tool in this project were designed in the light of good practice. The literature also suggests that formative assessment should develop self-regulated learning and be evaluated within the context of the student and the learning environment. This project evaluated the value of formative assessment in developing self-regulated learning against conflicting factors using an Activity model. The full analysis can be read in the draft paper on the analysis. The results add to the published evidence base and support the conclusion that computer-based formative learning positively affects achievement rates through self-regulated learning. The analysis suggests the process by which formative assessment affects achievement may differ between computer-based coursework and final written examinations. Improving achievement in examinations may depend on the level of entry self-regulated learning skills and the speed with which these skills can be improved through formative assessment. Improving achievement in computer-based coursework may also be affected by entry-level skills and early acquisition but the evidence suggests continuous development of self-regulated learning through formative assessment can also have a positive impact. The results also suggest that the impact of formative learning can be reduced by individual student characteristics such as a stated need for help with English as a second language. Self-reported study skills were not found to be significant. This does not imply that the level of study skills is irrelevant. Our measure was probably not picking up a difference in actual skills but differences in student perceptions of the level of skills appropriate for university study. The analysis on change in skills suggests that these perceptions may change radically after one semester of study as students upgrade their understanding of skills relevant to university study. Overall, we believe that our formative e-learning approach benefits the majority of students and generates strong positive feedback from students.
Our approach fitted well within the School's strategy but the developmental time constraints may limit its applicability for modules with smaller numbers of students. The experience has taught us that most students are confident about using e-learning materials and will find time to use them if they can see a direct and obvious benefit. Getting students to discuss these benefits in tutorials acts as a good method of promoting and disseminating the information to other students through social networks. Students often discussed how they were progressing in the formative assessment with each other and treated the experience as a social activity. The approach also provided a key method of identifying weak students at an early stage in the module when preventive action could be taken with positive results.
Practice has already changed as a result of the project. A similar set of materials for the first year data analysis module has been started but is not yet complete. However, the first set of materials is available to students and is used to prepare them for a short early computer-aided summative assessment and to identify weaker students who are not engaging in the module. Even at this stage of development, the materials generate student benefits. The CIAD team are developing an approach to provide the materials via the University website for remote access. When this happens, we will attempt to measure the impact on attendance and usage.
