Abstract:

This paper introduces the Smart Assessment app - an innovative Android app used for in-class activities. The aim of this work is to provide an efficient and effective tool to engage students whilst supporting and assessing their learning. This work was inspired by Enterprise Management and Product Development, modules designed for the Joint Programme (JP) students between Queen Mary University of London and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. Both modules have large numbers of students. Daily in-class activities are used to improve teacher-student interaction and to evaluate the student’s understanding and comprehension for concepts learned inside class.

The Smart Assessment app aims to assist lecturers to prepare and run in-class activities like multiple-choice tests, true/false exercises, and fill-in-the-blank quizzes. It has been designed for the specific needs of lecturers. That is, the interface allows users to design their own in-class activities covering any subject and set of questions. Students can participate using their smartphones or tablets and receive brief immediate feedback about their answers. Lecturers also receive brief feedback reports with total number of participants and the response results for each question.

The Smart Assessment app has been tested using three in-class assessments, and certain improvement areas have been identified. Future work will aim to fix application bugs and streamline information import and export between the app and a DOC file, allowing lecturers to upload in-class activities prepared in a DOC format.

Keywords:

In-class activities, online assessment, mobile app, higher education.