“How to use e-Learning for Testing and Assessing Large Classes”Prof. Jaime Villate, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Portugal |
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Bio
B. S. in Physics, 1983, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. Computer Science (Ingeniería de Sistemas), 1984, Universidad Distrital de Bogotá. M. A. in Physics, 1987 and Ph. D. in Physics, 1990, University of Rochester, New York, U. S. A. Post-doctoral fellow, 1990-1992, Complexo Interdisciplinar II do INIC, Lisbon, Portugal. Assistant Professor at the Engineering School of the University of Porto, FEUP, since 1992.
Researcher in the field of Computational Science. Currently interested in Computational Physics, Computer Algebra (CAS) and E-learning Systems. Other research areas in the past include Particle Physics and Physical Properties of Food. Member of the ATLAS collaboration at CERN, from 2001 to 2009, in the area of software related to the experiment. Organizer of several events to promote Free Software, in collaboration with the Municipal Council of Porto, UNESCO, and Hispalinux (Spain), from 1999 to 2002. Founding member and first president of the Portuguese Free Software Association (ANSOL).
Abstract
On-line quizzes provide many advantages for students and teachers. The student doesn’t have to be in the same place as the examiner, results and feedback can be given to the student immediately, and the student might be able to keep a copy of the quiz in digital form. However, exams given simultaneously to a large class are usually conducted in the traditional written form, because an on-line approach would pose many issues hard to solve. Students might have to wait several days before getting the results and feedback. We report on a hybrid method we have been using with over 200 students enrolled in Engineering Physics courses. Traditional written exams are used, but the results and feedback are published in an e-learning site, as if the exam had been taken on-line. The e-learning platform is also used to help students prepare for the exams.