WIP: Unannounced Tests and Examinations to Improve Student Performance and Build Academic Integrity

John Mario Bonilla; Miguel Santiago Valarezo; Miguel Andres Guerra

Download Paper | Permalink

Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM) Technical Session 18
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods Division (ERM)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/48323

Request a correction

Miguel Andres Guerra Universidad San Francisco de Quito orcid.org/0000-0002-7496-3753

visit author page

MiguelAndres is an Assistant Professor in the Polytechnic College of Science and Engineering at Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ. He holds a BS in Civil Engineering from USFQ, a M.Sc. in Civil Engineering in Construction Engineering and Project Management from Iowa State University, a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with emphasis in Sustainable Construction from Virginia Tech, and two Graduate Certificates from Virginia Tech in Engineering Education and Future Professoriate and from USFQ in Structures for Construction Professionals. MiguelAndres’s research includes Architectural and Civil Engineering Project Management, Sustainable and Resilient Urban Infrastructure, and the development of engineers who not only have strong technical and practical knowledge but the social awareness and agency to address global humanitarian, environmental, and social justice challenges. For him, social justice is a concept that should always be involved in discussions on infrastructure. Related to STEM education, Miguel Andres develops disruptive pedagogies for STEM courses as a tool for innovation, and assessing engineering students’ agency to address climate change. Currently, MiguelAndres is working on a framework to support and conduct undergraduate research.

visit author page

Download Paper | Permalink

Abstract

Current world challenges require complex solutions from multifaceted and interdisciplinary developments. There is significant research that supports the idea that self-assessment is an intrinsic characteristic in human development. Since the first seconds of breathing, humans test their experience to form and advance their knowledge. However, in the current western educational system, evaluations, a natural human process, have turned into activities that bring stress, anxiety, and nervousness to students. For this, researchers replace most of the set exams for unannounced constant examinations throughout the semester. Along with these, the course design included activities that supported students’ knowledge to be prepared for the new type of examination. Researchers applied these examinations during Spring-22 (n=63 students) and Fall-23 (n=59 students). During Spring-22, students from two courses of structural analysis in civil engineering and one course of Structures in architecture; during Fall-23, students from one course of Construction Management in Civil engineering, and two courses of Structures 1 in Architecture. At the end of the semesters, researchers conducted a survey to learn students’ perceptions and their feelings with these types of evaluations. The results indicate students find unannounced constant evaluations to be helpful in their learning process. Although students were nervous at the beginning of the semester, the supporting activities throughout the semester were helpful to improve their examination performance, and their overall course performed. Finally, students feel more confident with their knowledge after the course due to the unannounced constant examinations. Learning habits of continuing learning and to be prepared anytime to apply their knowledge helps to reduce temptation for cheating, and overall, to exemplify academic integrity. The authors discuss the possible factors driving the results, next steps and explore the avenues academia could take to form better assessment methods in the direction to build academic integrity. Implications for research and practice are provided.

Citation
Format

Bonilla, J. M., & Valarezo, M. S., & Guerra, M. A. (2024, June), WIP: Unannounced Tests and Examinations to Improve Student Performance and Build Academic Integrity Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/48323

TY - CPAPER
AB - Current world challenges require complex solutions from multifaceted and interdisciplinary developments. There is significant research that supports the idea that self-assessment is an intrinsic characteristic in human development. Since the first seconds of breathing, humans test their experience to form and advance their knowledge. However, in the current western educational system, evaluations, a natural human process, have turned into activities that bring stress, anxiety, and nervousness to students. For this, researchers replace most of the set exams for unannounced constant examinations throughout the semester. Along with these, the course design included activities that supported students’ knowledge to be prepared for the new type of examination. Researchers applied these examinations during Spring-22 (n=63 students) and Fall-23 (n=59 students). During Spring-22, students from two courses of structural analysis in civil engineering and one course of Structures in architecture; during Fall-23, students from one course of Construction Management in Civil engineering, and two courses of Structures 1 in Architecture. At the end of the semesters, researchers conducted a survey to learn students’ perceptions and their feelings with these types of evaluations. The results indicate students find unannounced constant evaluations to be helpful in their learning process. Although students were nervous at the beginning of the semester, the supporting activities throughout the semester were helpful to improve their examination performance, and their overall course performed. Finally, students feel more confident with their knowledge after the course due to the unannounced constant examinations. Learning habits of continuing learning and to be prepared anytime to apply their knowledge helps to reduce temptation for cheating, and overall, to exemplify academic integrity. The authors discuss the possible factors driving the results, next steps and explore the avenues academia could take to form better assessment methods in the direction to build academic integrity. Implications for research and practice are provided.
AU - John Mario Bonilla
AU - Miguel Santiago Valarezo
AU - Miguel Andres Guerra
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - WIP: Unannounced Tests and Examinations to Improve Student Performance and Build Academic Integrity
UR - https://peer.asee.org/48323
ER -