An assessment strategy for a first year engineering problem solving course

Abstract

This paper describes an assessment strategy for an Engineering problem-based learning course offered to first year students at the University of Southern Queensland. The assessment involves initial auditing of existing skills and competence of each student to facilitate the effective allocation of students with different levels of expertise in various discipline areas, into well balanced teams. This balance in combination with the formal assessments in the course, have been shown to encourage effective mentoring within and between teams. The formal assessment strategy includes a mix of both summative and formative assessment. The summative assessment of objectives combines team and individual assessment and is tailored to individual students’ existing skill levels. The emphasis is on advancement of skills and competence rather than simply achieving a minimum standard. This strategy provides the flexibility for equitable assessment of students with different initial skill and competence levels. This is particularly relevant to students studying in the distance mode who may have considerable professional experience and advanced skills and competence. By tracking progress towards the achievement of objectives, students develop an individual portfolio of achievements that can be continued throughout the remainder of their programs and professional lives