Abstract:

This study (N=113) examined predictors of exam performance in an undergraduate Operating Systems (OS) course for computer science majors. The course included graded homework and homebased, repeatable online quizzes designed to assess students’ practical understanding of key OS concepts: processes, memory management, file systems, and concurrency. We compared several potential predictors of exam grades: homework grades, online quiz scores, time spent on quizzes, number of quiz attempts, and students’ self-reported extent to which the quizzes contributed to their confidence in material comprehension. Quiz score emerged as the strongest individual predictor of exam performance (r=0.311, R²=9.7%, p<0.005), outperforming homework grade (r=0.191, R²=3.7%, p=0.058). When combined, all predictors explained only 14.7% of the variance in exam results. Students’ quiz-attributed confidence showed no meaningful predictive value. Implications for the role of online home quizzes are discussed, addressing potential reasons for the modest correlations, and suggesting directions for future research on the role and contribution of online quizzes as formative assessment tools in supporting students’ materials comprehension and exam preparation.

Keywords:

Education, Computer Science, Online Quizzes, Assessment, Practice.