Electrical and Electronic Engineering Assessment Network (e3an)

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Electrical and Electronic Engineering Assessment
Network (e3an)

• a three year project supported by the Fund for
  the Development of Teaching and Learning
  (FDTL)HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council
  for England) DEL (the Dept for Education and
  Learning in Northern Ireland)

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motivations

• In the best examples the use of directed and
  independent learning is well integrated with
  taught elements. In the best examples of
  assessment, assignments provide an appropriate
  level of challenge and feedback to students on
  coursework is prompt and informative. In other
  cases, there are delays in the return of marked
  work and inconsistencies in the quality of
  feedback.
• QAA overview report

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motivations (?)
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drawbacks (?)
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May 2000 the plan

• build a people network
• peer reviewed test banks for electrical and
  electronic engineering
• questions produced and reviewed by paid
  consultants

• model of processes
• trojan horse for educational development
• supporting materials on methods and practices

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the details

• questions banks containing
• objective tests (MCQ, MRQ numeric,)
• text based traditional tests
• course assignments
• exam questions
• self assessment, diagnostic,feedback,
• reference/exemplars

• technical issues
• must be in range of output formats
• must be interoperable
• must have good descriptive content (meta data)
• equal importance
• people network and identifying good practice

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core participants
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the benefits

• resource
• potential time savings
• improved feedback to students
• ready to run questions easier to trial MCQ
  software (e.g. web based QM Perception)

• practice
• evaluation of assessment innovations on campus
• identification of good practice
• dissemination and discussion of assessment
  practices

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production model - theme teams

• theme leader
• theme mentor
• four or five academic consultants

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database contents
Analogue Electronics Circuit Theory
Computational Tools Control Engineering
Data Communications Digital Electronics and Microelectonics
Electromagnetics Maths for Engineers
Power Electronics Programming for Engineers
Physics of Semiconductors Signal Processing
Telecommunications
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consultant recruitment

• 00 partner pilot
• 18 consultants
• recruit by word of mouth
• two briefings
• 01/02 uk-wide 35 HEIs
• 50 consultants
• two early launches
• five briefings
• recruit by flyers, email, word of mouth

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theme team process

• identify question targets
• discuss levels and approaches
• agree division of tasks
• dummy run
• author
• write, mark up and review questions
• trial and evaluate questions

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available test bank

• via download or CD
• currently 1500 questions
• ongoing conversion and addition
• ultimately around 2800 questions
• further development
• contributions welcomed
• plans for ongoing use and renewal

download from e3an website at http//www.e3an.ac.u
k
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metadata

• overview
• theme
• sub-theme
• related themes
• description
• keywords

• detail
• type
• mark
• time
• level
• cognitive level
• discrimination
• style
• examples
• View question
• View metadata

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output formats of questions

• tutor or student ready, various formats
• Microsoft Word/RTF HTML
• QML (Question Mark Perception v2)
• XML Question Test Interoperability (QTI)
  specification (compatible with a range of test
  engines)

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related developments resources

• acronym hell
• TOIA http//www.toia.ac.uk/
• Technologies for Online Interoperable Assessment
• STOMP QTI viewer http//www.stomp.ac.uk/
• CETIS assessment SIG http//www.cetis.ac.uk/asses
  sment/
• LTSN-ICS question bashes http//www.ics.ltsn.ac.uk
  /question-bank
• TQEF/NCTeam assessment project network
  http//www.ncteam.ac.uk/projects/fdtl/fdtl4/assess
  ment/
• LTSN generic resources on assessmenthttp//www.lt
  sn.ac.uk/genericcentre/

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test bank evaluation

• extensive usability testing of the database which
  stores and retrieves questions
• implementation studies
• currently extending project collaborators willing
  to help evaluate
• question selection methods
• potential benefits to tutors and students
• appropriateness of the question descriptions
  (metadata)
• additions and maintenance

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e3an - more details

• Su White http//www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/saw/
• saw_at_ecs.soton.ac.uk
• 44 (0)23 8059 4471
• http//www.e3an.ac.uk/
• info_at_e3an.ac.uk/