An articulated approach to the development and evaluation of automated feedback for online MCQ quizzes in Human Biology
Access Status
Authors
Date
2007Type
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Source Title
Source Conference
ISBN
Faculty
Collection
Abstract
This paper describes an articulated programme of development and evaluation of automatically-presented explanatory feedback comments for online, enriched-multiple choice style quizzes in Human Biology for first year university courses. The degree of articulation of the separate components of the programme arose almost unintentionally from the inclusion of common sets of demographic questions in several of the components of the work, and fromcontinuity of logon identities, but proved to be a powerful means of reaching an understanding of the dynamics of student engagement with the online learning process and of the effectiveness of the product we were testing. In particular, links were established between expectations of academic performance and the amount of paid employment in which students were engaged, and between expected and achieved levels of performance. Students who expected lower levels ofperformance at the outset were also less convinced of the potential of feedback to help them with their studies. Analysis of the patterns of use of the online test revealed a serious disadvantage to working students of current accessibility to online summative assessments, and that the standard duration of the summative tests was approximately three times the preferred online work span of the younger students. ‘Dose’ and ‘decay’-graded selective improvements in end of semester assessments in the topics covered by the feedback comments could be demonstrated.
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Dong, Yu; Lucey, Anthony; Leadbeater, Garry (2012)Background: In traditional teaching philosophy, large-class units such as First-Year Engineering Mechanics have experienced significant challenges with respect to a lack of close lecturer-student interaction, prompt ...
-
Scott, Donald E. (2009)This study was a 360 degree exploration of the effectiveness of online learning experiences facilitated via Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) by incorporating the insights afforded by students, their lecturers, and the ...
-
Garratt-Reed, David; Roberts, Lynne ; Heritage, B. (2016)There has been a recent rapid growth in the number of psychology courses offered online through institutions of higher education. The American Psychological Association has highlighted the importance of ensuring the ...