Abstract:

On-line quizzes are generally used as an e-learning tool and as a complement of course evaluation. On-line quizzes are believed to not only support the development of knowledge of the considered discipline but also to foster the skills needed to solve related problems. At the University of Valencia a group of professors and teachers have constituted an academic team in order to develop a questions data-base and a collection of quizzes. They work in different Schools (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) at the University of Valencia and are related with different disciplines in their field. On-line assessments are used under the assumption that students will be driven to study regularly and to develop problem solving skills. It is desired that students take adverse signals and, as a consequence, respond positively leading to fewer academic difficulties and higher degree of real knowledge. This paper examines the validity of such assumptions by considering the relationship between on-line assessments and final grades. A student obtains its final grade by means of a written exam and by different activities that assess the global knowledge acquired during the course and its ability to relate or apply such knowledge. For this study we present a simple statistical relationship, performed in several different disciplines. The results suggest that the final grade distribution is related with the assessments response. Although not in all cases the correlation between partial and final scores is exact, there is a large correlation between success and failure.

Keywords:

Assesment, quizzes, on-line evaluation, autoevaluation.