PATTERNS OF ONLINE USE AND IMPROVED STUDENT PERFORMANCE WITH REPEATABLE ONLINE ASSESSMENTS

Historically in large-lecture courses of physical geology, exam material was reviewed in class using PowerPoint and i>clicker student response system, and some improvement in performance was documented. Using this method, students are exposed to questions once or twice during a lecture period, only 3 or 4 times during the semester. However, during Fall 2010, 7 online quizzes were presented via Blackboard course delivery system, providing repeatable opportunities to master quiz material. The quizzes contained ~10 questions each, and were available for finite periods of time (usually 1-2 weeks). Some questions had informative statements that guided students when providing incorrect answers; feedback on other quizzes was provided by scores.

On average 72 of 88 students attempted seven quizzes 223 times and received an average score of 75%. This experience translated to better performance on the cumulative exams. Exam averages in earlier classes were consistently lower on the 2^nd and 3^rd exams.

INTRO GEOL	exam 1 avg	exam 2 avg	exam 3 avg
Fall 2010	80.3	79.4	80	Online quizzes
N=88
Spring 2010	79.4	62.6	73.4	i>clicker
N=43
Fall 2009	79.2	72.3	74.2	i>clicker
N=76
Spring 2009	74	73.8	75.3	i>clicker
N=87
Fall 2008	76	75.6	65.9	No i>clicker
N=116

Results indicate improved student performance through summative assessments via Blackboard. This new assessment model required the same level of effort from the instructor to construct questions that assessed students’ conceptual and visual understanding of the content as was used with the earlier i>clicker method. To improve instructor efficiency, the quizzes were graded by Blackboard, which provided students with timely feedback upon submission. This determined if mastery of the material had been achieved, and/or if students would retake quizzes to enhance their learning. One of the major benefits to students was the ability to access material at times that best suit their study habits/preferences (24/7). This repetitive and expanded access is interpreted to have contributed to enhanced student understanding and improved their overall course performance.