Rhetorical relationships with students: A higher education case study of perceptions of online assessment in mathematics

Abstract

Some students perceive that online assessment does not provide for a true reflection of their work effort. This article reports on a collaborative international project between two higher education institutions with the aim of researching issues relating to engineering student perceptions with respect to online assessment of mathematics. It provides a comparison between students of similar educational standing in Finland and Ireland. The students undertook to complete questionnaires and a sample of students was selected to participate in several group discussion interviews. Evidence from the data suggests that many of the students demonstrate low levels of confidence, do not display knowledge of continuous assessment processes and perceive many barriers when confronted with online assessment in their first semester. Alternative perspectives were sought from lecturers by means of individual interviews. The research indicates that perceptions of effort and reward as seen by students are at variance with those held by lecturers. The study offers a brief insight into the thinking of students in the first year of their engineering mathematics course. It may be suggested that alternative approaches to curriculum and pedagogical design are necessary to alleviate student concerns.

Pupils’ Summative Assessments in Mathematics as Dependent on Selected Factors

“…Also, the fact is, that in the discipline like mathematic is the assessment has got great importance not only for learners and their parent, however also for teachers, policy-makers, curriculum-makers and for future employers (e.g., Boud & Soler, 2016). The similar statement is possible to find in the studies of Brown and Lally (2018), King et al (2017), Potvin et al (2020), and Rakoczy et al (2019). Summative assessment is also questionable in terms of reliability, as teachers must be sure that retesting a student using the same assessment will produce consistent results (Popham, 2014).…”

An inferentialist account of students’ collaboration in mathematics education

“…Moreover, theories that focus on individual aspects in collaboration originate from a cognitivist tradition or constructivism, for instance, Große and Renkl's (2007) cognitive loads, Wu and Cherng's (1992) metacognition scale, Hiebert and Lefevre's (1986) theory on knowledge and Skemp's (1976) theory on understanding. We also noted that quantitative methods seemed to be more frequent in the product-focused view than in the process-focused view (Brown and Lally 2018;Sun et al 2018). In connection with quantitative research, a pre-and posttest design (as used in Yang et al 2016) shows conditions at two points in time and infers certain development within.…”

Technologies, learning and culture: Some emerging themes

“…Brown and Lally (2018), in an Irish/Finnish comparative study, focused on classroom-based learning spaces that were augmented by computer-based assessment technologies. Working with engineering mathematics students, they investigated students’ anecdotal concerns about computerised assessment.…”

“…They support claims made by Joksimović et al (2015: 121) that 'with the further development of online education, it seems that learning paradigms are evolving into a single learning approach -digital learning'. Brown and Lally (2018), in an Irish/Finnish comparative study, focused on classroom-based learning spaces that were augmented by computer-based assessment technologies. Working with engineering mathematics students, they investigated students' anecdotal concerns about computerised assessment.…”