Abstract:

This work has been carried out within the scope of an innovation and educational improvement project focused on designing and implementing formative evaluation activities aimed at learning specific skills in the field of electronics. The Analog Electronics (EA) subject participates in it, the core of the Degree in Industrial Electronics and Automation, with more than 150 students enrolled each year. During the 21-22 academic year, four training activities based on test-type problems were designed and implemented to allow students to continuously study the subject and detect their points, thus encouraging the request for tutorials. The training and evaluation activities also obtained the completion of a design project for an analog conditioning system (project-based learning), concept maps of each topic, practice reports and open-ended exams. Through a questionnaire of 20 questions implemented in the Office 365 Forms platform, students have been consulted on different aspects related to the implemented formative assessment and the rest of the subject's activities. Most of the students who answered the survey (124) do not consider that the formative assessment tests have helped them to carry out a continuous study of the subject. However, they have helped them to achieve the learning outcomes related to the design and analysis of analog signal circuits. 10% have requested some tutoring after one of the tests. They believe that design work is the training activity that has most helped them to carry out a continuous study of the subject, has led them to request tutorials, and has enabled them to acquire specific competence in the design of analog conditioning systems.

All of this indicates that learning based on design projects is the best valued by students in the different learning dimensions analyzed. Only a third of the students consider that the realization of concept maps favors the learning of the key concepts of the subject and their relationships, and slightly less than a third think that it has helped them to carry out a self-diagnosis on the learning of the subject. On the other hand, more than half of the students do not continuously study the subject and more than half have dedicated less than 30 hours to prepare each problem exam. Regarding the qualifications in the different evaluation dimensions, the test score is the lowest value, 4.12±1.53, followed by open-ended problems (4.95±1.9), the activities that the student performs individually. The mean mark for group activities is much higher, with the final mark being 6.76±1.61. Therefore, group activities are decisive in passing the subject. Finally, the students think that taking EA has allowed them to go from a low level of proficiency in the analysis and design of analog circuits to a very good or good level.

Keywords:

Formative assessment, tutorials, problem-based learning, continuous study, specific skills, large groups.