ONLINE ASSESSMENT AS A TEACHING STRATEGY IN CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

The Active Learning in Experimental Sciences group, which consists of lecturers from the Department of Physical Chemistry at the University of Alcalá, is working to implement e-learning both to complement its course lectures and as a means of orienting its teaching/learning methodologies in the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). One of the activities developed by this group has involved the design of procedures and data bases to perform online assessments (and self-assessments) in three subjects: i) chemical formulation, ii) reinforcement of learning, and iii) laboratory problems. The actions described herein were undertaken in chemistry, pharmacy, biology and teaching-training courses.

Two different types of inorganic chemistry formulation exams were prepared using the virtual lecture theatre’s “exams” tool: assessment (in exact-match format) and self-assessment (in exact-match and multiple-choice formats). The coursework was divided into three parts, with three intermediate and one final exam, in both cases. Help or correction-type comments were included in the multiple-choice format for the self-assessment. Participation was very high and the pass rate higher than in traditional exams.

The reinforcement of learning exercises were also undertaken in a similar manner: assessment and self-assessment. Students were provided with course-related material, for example texts concerning the origin and evolution of science teaching, and were asked to answer questions in various formats: correlation, space-filling, T/F, phrase ordering, short answers and multiple choice. Topic-based self-assessment tests were also proposed with questions in two formats: multiple choice and T/F.

Laboratory problems were designed for the practical classes on the basis of online questions related to the Practicals Handbook and basic topics which had to be answered prior to entering the laboratory. This allowed the students’ degree of understanding to be determined and to detect problems, guide the practical lecturer’s explanations and provide suggestions for improving the handbook itself.
Similarly, self-assessments were programmed to replace the questions traditionally posed in the Practicals Handbook with the aim of allowing the students to assess their level of understanding and correct any conceptual or procedural errors prior to taking the final exam.