A Technique For Continuous Evaluation Of Student Performance In Two Different Domains: Structural Engineering And Computer Information Technology

Student access to the Internet has made it much easier for students to find solutions to traditional homework problems online and thereby has made this traditional assessment method of monitoring student progress and gauging the assimilation of knowledge in engineering and technology courses less reliable.  This paper presents an in-class, group-based quiz technique where students are quizzed typically on a weekly basis on material presented during the same week in lecture, but before doing any homework.  Homework is typically not graded or its impact reduced on its percentage impact on the final class grade, whereas the quizzes are assigned a higher percentage impact on the final grade.  Mid-term and final exams are based or derived from the homework assignments.  Since students have not usually had any time to study the new material, they can work in groups of typically two or three students and if they get stuck, they have the option of asking the instructor for hints to prevent them from being stuck.  Quizzes are graded in real-time during the class and provide the instructor with continuous, week to week, assessment as to a student’s progress.  The study found that the use of this quiz technique creates a more interactive experience between students, between the student and the instructor, and reduces the possibility of plagiarism on homework assignments.