Nordic Journal of STEM Education

Different Assessment Methods in a Civil Engineering Course

Vidar Hellum — 2024-02-16

Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, there has been a need for exploring different assessment methods and approaches to teaching. The purpose of the present paper is to share the experiences and discuss three different assessment methods that have been used in the same university course within civil engineering studies over the last three years. The three assessment methods which have been explored are (i) a conventional four-hour unseen exam with calculation tasks performed at the campus, (ii) a 24-hour home exam with calculation tasks and (iii) a portfolio-based assessment with an additional oral exam.

The choice of assessment method clearly influenced the grades where the portfolio-based assessment with the additional oral exam produced more than a grade higher average than the two other assessment methods. Interestingly, there were no indications of gender differences between the assessment methods. Females and males achieved similar average grades in all the introduced modes of assessments.

Based on comparisons between the portfolio results and the following oral exam there are indications that the improved grades were not only a function of an “easier assessment method” but might also be because of better performance which may partly be induced by the mode of assessment.

Exam as an instrument for student-active learning in STEM education – An example from a reliability analysis course

Jon T Selvik — 2024-02-16

Exams have a powerful role in higher education typically in the form of summative assessment, where the goal is to evaluate student learning at the end of the course; to test whether the students have achieved the learning objectives. Beyond representing a final activity in the course, exams have a role in giving students exam-relevant problems to solve, and to communicate a set of standards. It can be argued that this problem-solving activity contributes to learning and will make the students better equipped to perform well on the final exam. From the teacher’s perspective, the designing of exams represents a task creating specific awareness to the course content and student capabilities. In this paper, focus is on student activity and in-depth learning, where we investigate a potential to use exams more actively in learning activities prior to the summative assessment. A way suggested in this paper and tested for a reliability analysis (probability and statistics oriented) course, is to have the students design on their own an exam set with solutions, preferably in groups. The students have access to supervision and are given feedback on their product. There is a rationale that this activity may add motivation, and results indicate a positive learning benefit from the initiative, which is also supported by feedback collected from the students in the course evaluation. Main feedback being that it makes them see problems from different perspectives and taking a more active role. Besides, the format to work together with other students on solving a low-stake but value-adding task without direct influence on their grade was appreciated. The way allows for creative thinking and reflection. It extends the traditional use of exams and represents a way in line with problem-based learning thinking.

Pollbasert undervisning: studentaktiv læring med store studentgrupper

David André Coucheron — 2024-02-16

To viktige prinsipper for å øke studentenes læring i undervisning er aktiv deltagelse og formativ vurdering. Innføring av disse prinsippene i undervisning med store studentgrupper kan imidlertid by på utfordringer, særlig i nettbasert undervisning. En mulig løsning kan være bruk av flervalgsoppgaver som diagnostisk testing med innsamling av svarene og påfølgende formativ vurdering – en undervisningsform som vi her kaller for pollbasert undervisning. I dette bidraget er vi opptatt av følgende to spørsmål: Hvordan påvirker denne undervisningsformen studentenes oppmerksomhet, motivasjon og læringsutbytte? Hva er fordeler og ulemper med gruppediskusjon som en del av opplegget? Vi har introdusert pollbasert undervisning med gruppediskusjon i et fysikkemne og uten gruppediskusjon i et kjemiemne. I en felles skriftlig studentevaluering i nettbaserte implementasjoner i de to emnene rapporter studentene høyt opplevd læringsutbytte, økt motivasjon til forberedelse og deltagelse, samt at flervalgsoppgavene hjelper å holde oppmerksomhet oppe. Gruppediskusjon ser ut til å føre til godt læringsutbytte. Økt tidsbruk med gruppediskusjon fører imidlertid til at antall oppgaver som behandles halveres. Pollbasert undervisning er en fleksibel undervisningsform fordi det kan implementeres i ulike fag, både fysisk og på nett, både med og uten gruppediskusjon og uten skaleringsproblemer med større studentgrupper, som kan være fordelt over ulike campuser. Dermed kan undervisningsformen overføres til mange andre begynneremner i STEM-fagene.

Teaching Linear Algebra to Engineering Students in Two Different Educational Settings:

Ragnhild Johanne Rensaa — 2024-02-16

The present paper holds a twofold perspective on a new teaching format in a linear algebra course given to engineering students. The design resembles the flipped classroom, but with various adjustments. The first part highlights the basis on which the design was built, both research results and practical issues, but also the implementation of the teaching. It did not proceed quite as expected. The second part focuses on the outcome. It concentrates on students’ feedback on learning in the course. To inform this part, answers to a questionnaire is related to results from a previous linear algebra course that was taught traditionally, and to students’ interpretation of achievements. Drawing both on the analyses of data and research literature, an adjusted teaching format is suggested to better facilitate for learning. This contributes to knowledge on how research-based teaching arrangements may develop.

First-year engineering students’ attitudes and learning goals in calculus: A ten-year follow-up study

Thea Bjørnland — 2024-04-16

This study sets out to examine engineering students’ attitudes and learning goals in a first-year mandatory calculus course. We explored how, and the extent to which, course specific goals and attitudes changed over the course of one semester. A study of learning goals and attitudes was conducted among first-year engineering students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 2007, and “educationally unwelcome” trends were observed. The current follow-up study (2017) was motivated by comprehensive course revisions from 2013 through 2015, including the use of digi- tal learning resources, improved tutoring sessions and the introduction of active learning methods. Contrary to expectations, this follow-up study brings no evidence of positive impacts of the course revisions at the mean level. Some students had stable attitudes and goal orientations, while others switched to undesired territories throughout the semester in the same way as observed ten years earlier. Better integration between foundational and applied courses, and consideration of the entire teaching and learning environment, may yield more of desired attitudes and goal orientations in the first year of study.