Online formative tests as a learning tool in Engineering mathematics

Abstract

We report on the results of the online mathematics project developed and implemented at Swinburne University of Technology. The trial was incorporated within the existing first year engineering mathematics course over the second semester of 2007. A detailed discussion is given on the structure of the item bank of mathematical multiple-choice questions and a brief description on the method by which they were generated. Over the duration of the trial, statistical data on several variables, including the distribution of incorrect student answers for a given multiple-choice question was collated. An example of the statistics of student responses based on Blackboard's tracking facility for one of the tests is presented. Finally, we discuss the future direction of the project. References

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