Abstract:

After almost 8 years of application of the Continuous Assessment methodology (CA) in the University of Barcelona, a group of professors of the Faculty of Chemistry has initiated a project to try to know about the repercussions of the application of this methodology, both in the evaluation and in the learning of our students. To achieve this objective, various strategies have been considered involving different groups of people. Thus, surveys addressed to all students of the BSc in Chemistry and to all professors of Chemistry subjects have been useful to know what methodologies are applied right now for CA, the satisfaction degree of students and professors with the methodology, or what improvements are proposed by both groups.

In addition, a smaller group has been selected, corresponding to the students of the first year subject Química Bàsica I (about 250), to try to determine if the CA methodology is useful for the student learning or is simply an evaluative tool. With this goal, the professors involved in teaching the subject (five groups) designed a matrix of tests by combining aspects such as:
- It is the first/second question about this concept
- The question was solved/not solved in the classroom
- The test averages/not averages for the final grade

Results were analysed and some interesting, and sometimes surprising, results were obtained.

Keywords:

Continuous assessment, evaluation, learning.