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The Chemical Educator
ISSN: 1430-4171 (electronic version)
Abstract Volume 27
(2022) pp 69-76
Assessment in a Pandemic: Charting a Path from High-stakes Exams to Low-stakes Weekly Quizzes
Scott A. Reid
Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, scott.reid@marquette.edu
Received April 5, 2021. Accepted October 28, 2021.
Published: 19 November 2022
Abstract. The sudden transformation to distance learning induced by the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for instructors and students alike. This article presents early results of a pandemic-induced transition from high-stakes monthly examinations to low-stakes weekly quizzes in both distance learning and hybrid general college chemistry courses. While studies demonstrating the benefits of frequent low stakes quizzing are prevalent in other disciplines, relatively few reports have appeared in the chemistry education literature. Here, we focus on three key facets of this change in assessment strategy. First, student performance on identical or close variant questions between quizzes and exams in offerings by the same instructor is examined, where our early results are consistent with literature from other disciplines in showing improved performance in the quizzing sections. Second, we examine the effect of introducing voluntary quiz retakes on student performance, with particular emphasis on at-risk students and DFW (D’s, F’s, withdrawal) rates. Finally, we compare the impact of a voluntary retake vs. retake following mandated quiz review for students failing their initial quiz attempt. Overall, our results suggest that replacing or supplementing high-stakes exams with low stakes weekly quizzes is both a benefit to students in general chemistry and considered a benefit by them..
Key Words: KW In the Classroom;,First year undergraduate/general; Distance learning/Self-instruction; Testing/Assessment; Nonmajor courses
onding author. (E-mail: scott.reid@marquette.edu)
Article in PDF format(404KB) HTML
Content includes sample quiz and exam questions, and tables of question topics for compared questions (Table S1), detailed grade distributions of the courses included in this study (Table S2) and historical grade data in the author’s courses (Table S3). Additional figures (Figures S1-S5) illustrate: 1) item difficulty and discrimination values for the compared exam items: 2) the anchoring concepts course structure employed in this work, 3) the mean % difference by item for quizzing and exam sections, 4) a breakdown of quiz retakes and performance for the GC2-Su20 course, and 5) plots of time of initial and second (if applicable) quiz attempt within the 60 h window for two quizzes in the GC1-Su20 course. 1175 KB
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