Authentic Engineering Assessment: From Quizzes to High-Stakes Examination

This talk highlights developments in two engineering courses, with a goal to deeply integrate “authenticity” into all elements of course design and assessment. Achieving this goal required fundamental changes to the assessment structure and modes of delivery, most prominently the adoption of MATLAB^® to augment theoretical concepts.

Despite the abundance of software in professional practice, learning and teaching applications of engineering software are not deeply integrated into curricula. As a discipline, we have struggled to reconcile the need to teach algorithmic thinking and software against a perception that it lowers assessment integrity (and detracts from learning fundamental engineering skills). An unmistakable example of this conflict is high-stakes, invigilated, pen-and-paper examination; attempting (and often failing) to isolate a student brain from modern conveniences in the interests of “integrity.”

I have redeveloped three courses to have MATLAB live scripts at their core, enabling all activities to mirror professional practice yet remain scaffolded. Rather than being a superficial addition to coursework, software is embedded into all classes, quizzes, projects, and exams.

For every theoretical calculation taught in class using “traditional” hand calculations, a digital counterpart was developed with MATLAB live scripts. These scripts allow for native integration of theory, widgets, simulations, and graphical output. The digital counterparts follow a common three-step framework: replicate the class example, generalize the calculation, then extrapolate to a class of similar problems. Students develop algorithmic problem-solving skills which allow them to decouple conceptual understanding from the underpinning mathematics. Class projects are designed to encourage students to extend the codebase provided to them. Open-web final exams then complete the feedback loop, leveraging their code library and skill sets they have developed over the course.