Threshold Tests as a way to encourage long-term, self-regulated learners in Engineering

Abstract

[EN] Traditionally, educators evaluate the effectiveness of a new assessment in a pre-requisite early subject via pass rates, grades and student satisfaction. It may be more appropriate to measure the impact on student results in later stage subjects. In this work we report on the impact of changing assessment, over 10 years, at a metropolitan Australian university for an initial calculus subject (Mathematics 1) on two follow-on subjects: Mathematics 2 and Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering. Earlier research found that Online Mastery Tests can harm later learning outcomes even though failure rates drop within the pre-requisite subject. Here we show that Paper Threshold Tests, requiring greater engagement, metacognitive strategies result in fewer passes in the pre-requisite subject however, they were also resulting in a major inversion of the grade distribution toward higher grades in the follow on subjects where 60% of students now obtain marks > 75%.