An analysis of using online testing modules in engineering economics

Undergraduate students often find it difficult to manage curriculum. Engineering courses often require student to solve assignments and take in-class exams throughout the semester that include solving complex practical applications which can be challenging, one of the reasons being the time constraints. Additionally, the use of computers to solve the real-world problems during in-class exams is demanding due to its set-up cost and accommodation of large number of students at the same time. This thesis describes the study of a large engineering class using a non-conventional testing method. Student performance was evaluated using online testing modules with a stringent passing criterion and the tests could be taken multiple times. The questions for each testing attempt was pulled from a huge database so that students received a new question every time. Student survey results indicated that most favored the online testing assessment method. Our results show that students learned from their mistakes and their performance improved by taking the test multiple times. We compared the performance of students on the traditional assessment who took the course in the previous semester with the performance of student on the online testing module. Our analysis shows that the students earned better grades using the online tests than the students in their in-class exams. The online assessment method could be useful in the large engineering courses that are focused on formula-based curriculum

Do students learn better using online testing with multiple attempts?

A new method to assess student learning was implemented for IE 305 Engineering Economic Analysis. Students were evaluated with online testing modules which they could take repeatedly until they passed. Questions were randomized; very unlikely that a student ever received the exact same question. Goal: Evaluate students’ performance when they are allowed multiple attempts of online tests and compare student performance to traditional assessment methods

Online Testing to Assess Performance of Students in a Large Engineering Class

Fall 2017: Engineering Economic Analysis course •242 students: in-class and distance learning •New assessment procedure: Online testing modules •7 required online testing modules •2 bonus testing modules to earn an A •Semester grades determined completely by number of modules passed •Unlimited number of attempts for each testing module •Randomly chosen question

Evaluating students with online testing modules in engineering economics: A comparision of student performance with online testing and with traditional assessments

Engineering economics courses often require students to take time-constrained, in-class exams in which they solve problems by hand, possibly referring to interest rate tables. Many students rely on partial credit to successfully pass exams. Outside of the classroom, professionals rely on computers to solve engineering economics problems, which raises the question of whether engineering economics courses are correctly assessing student performance. This article describes the study of a large engineering economics class using a non-conventional testing method. Student performance was evaluated using online testing modules with a stringent passing criterion, and the tests could be taken multiple times. The questions for each testing attempt were pulled from a database so that students received a new question every time. We compare the performance of students who were assessed using traditional methods with the performance of students assessed with these online testing modules. Our analysis shows that, overall, students who were assessed using the online testing modules earned better grades than students who were assessed via traditional methods. The analysis also discusses several benefits and drawbacks to using online assessments compared with traditional methods. The online assessment method could be useful in large engineering courses that are formula-based

An analysis of using online testing modules in engineering economics

Undergraduate students often find it difficult to manage curriculum. Engineering courses often require student to solve assignments and take in-class exams throughout the semester that include solving complex practical applications which can be challenging, one of the reasons being the time constraints. Additionally, the use of computers to solve the real-world problems during in-class exams is demanding due to its set-up cost and accommodation of large number of students at the same time. This thesis describes the study of a large engineering class using a non-conventional testing method. Student performance was evaluated using online testing modules with a stringent passing criterion and the tests could be taken multiple times. The questions for each testing attempt was pulled from a huge database so that students received a new question every time. Student survey results indicated that most favored the online testing assessment method. Our results show that students learned from their mistakes and their performance improved by taking the test multiple times. We compared the performance of students on the traditional assessment who took the course in the previous semester with the performance of student on the online testing module. Our analysis shows that the students earned better grades using the online tests than the students in their in-class exams. The online assessment method could be useful in the large engineering courses that are focused on formula-based curriculum.</p

Online Testing to Assess Performance of Students in a Large Engineering Class

Fall 2017: Engineering Economic Analysis course •242 students: in-class and distance learning •New assessment procedure: Online testing modules •7 required online testing modules •2 bonus testing modules to earn an A •Semester grades determined completely by number of modules passed •Unlimited number of attempts for each testing module •Randomly chosen questionsThis presentation is from Proceedings of the 2018 IISE Annual Conference held on May 19-22, 2018 at Orlando, Florida. Rane, V., MacKenzie, C.A., Online testing to assess performance of students in a large engineering class. Posted with permission. </h3

Do students learn better using online testing with multiple attempts?

A new method to assess student learning was implemented for IE 305 Engineering Economic Analysis. Students were evaluated with online testing modules which they could take repeatedly until they passed. Questions were randomized; very unlikely that a student ever received the exact same question. Goal: Evaluate students’ performance when they are allowed multiple attempts of online tests and compare student performance to traditional assessment methods.</p

Evaluating students with online testing modules in engineering economics: A comparision of student performance with online testing and with traditional assessments

Engineering economics courses often require students to take time-constrained, in-class exams in which they solve problems by hand, possibly referring to interest rate tables. Many students rely on partial credit to successfully pass exams. Outside of the classroom, professionals rely on computers to solve engineering economics problems, which raises the question of whether engineering economics courses are correctly assessing student performance. This article describes the study of a large engineering economics class using a non-conventional testing method. Student performance was evaluated using online testing modules with a stringent passing criterion, and the tests could be taken multiple times. The questions for each testing attempt were pulled from a database so that students received a new question every time. We compare the performance of students who were assessed using traditional methods with the performance of students assessed with these online testing modules. Our analysis shows that, overall, students who were assessed using the online testing modules earned better grades than students who were assessed via traditional methods. The analysis also discusses several benefits and drawbacks to using online assessments compared with traditional methods. The online assessment method could be useful in large engineering courses that are formula-based.This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Engineering Economist on June 29, 2020 available online at DOI: 10.1080/0013791X.2020.1784336. Posted with permission.</p