The survey of assessment practices Oana Radu April 17, 2012

Overview Aims –To develop a complete survey of assessment methods in all mathematics departments in the UK –To provide a snapshot of current practice in at three levels: the module, the year and the degree course Methodology Survey findings Interview findings

Methodology – quantitative 68 universities surveyed (13 – no sufficient data) Data collected centered on –Math modules (credits, level/year) –Structure of assessment for each module

Methodology – qualitative 27 interviews conducted with Heads of Schools or Directors of Teaching Interviews lasted between 20 and 30 minutes Interviews centered on trends in maths assessment at the course level, on the traditional and innovative assessment practices at the module level, and on lecturers’ feelings and thoughts related to both practices

Survey findings A total of 2558 modules were investigated Of these, 607 modules are assessed 100% by closed book examination –68 are first year modules –Only for 7 universities year one counts towards the degree classification scheme Alternatives to closed book examinations consist of –Oral presentations (Statistics) –Log books, reports (Mathematics Education / History of Mathematics) –Projects (across all modules)

Survey findings 404 modules offered in Statistics and Probability. Assessment practices tend to consists of a combination of final exams, reports, practical examinations, investigations, small projects, oral presentations, mini tests, open book exams 63 modules in the History of Mathematics and Mathematics Education –Mostly offered during the third year –Assessment methods include essays, oral presentations (individual and group), logbooks, reflective writing, poster, self- evaluations, portfolios, seminar presentations, interim reports, written reports, projects, exams, journal of activity

Survey findings 79 modules are assessed by project with no exam Of these, 65 modules (over 29 universities) have either 100% project, project and presentation, or project, presentation and poster The breakdown across the B.Sc. course is –11 modules within the second year –47 modules within the third year –7 modules within the year

Survey findings Range of topics assessed by project: –Mathematics modeling / computational mathematics –Research skills in mathematics –Communicating mathematics / mathematics and society –Mathematics education / history of mathematics –Statistics and probability / business and financial mathematics –Mathematical writing / professional skills for mathematicians

Interviews with Heads of Schools General trend in math assessment at the module level –Mostly final examinations –Combinations of final exams and continuous assessment –To maintain the traditional examination structures, the status quo –To maintain a balance between final exams and coursework, particularly in the first years

What does traditional mean? Closed book final examinations –Final exam length: 2 to 3 hours depending on module and year. Combinations between final exam and coursework –Disappear as years progress –Mostly appear during the first year

Lecturers’ thoughts and feelings about traditional math assessment practices Comfortable as thoughts of traditional exams are reassuring in that students don’t plagiarize work Happy with the traditional (no apparent desire to change things) Supportive as they perceive traditional assessment as effective Happy with the balance between final exams and coursework Enthusiasm for different forms of assessment

Lecturers’ thoughts and feelings about traditional math assessment practices An alternative view –resistance and reluctance to move towards other forms of assessment Reasons –staffing issue – the amount of time it takes to do these things –difficulty in assessment over a large group of students in a uniform way –plagiarism –culture of accountability

Causes for implementing new assessment practices Connections between assessment and course syllabus Desire to improve students’ marks Encourage students to solve mathematics problems and to think differently Dissatisfaction with the status quo because of cost issues (time, money, efficiency) Students’ focus on marks Need to boost students’ employability skills Desire to offer alternative math practices Increased class size Desire to find a niche

What does innovative mean? Poster presentations, PowerPoint presentations, group / individual work Projects Essays Web based assessment (e.g. Moodle) Multiple-choice Preference for implementing research methods (as part of projects) targeting students’ future research skills Peer assessment Moore method

Lecturers’ thoughts and feelings about the different assessment practices Welcome the reduced marking time Lecturers’ voices are heard – debates and discussions are healthy Happy and enthusiastic to embrace a mixture of assessment techniques Excitement about thinking about a different form of assessment Concern about marks and efficiency System works because of top-down strategy New structures bring opportunities for collaboration with industry partners New assessment practices contribute to enhancing students’ thinking skills

Thank you!