A study of the assessment of students’ performance in blended learning

Anthony Tik Tsuen Wong
Caritas Francis Hsu College
Hong Kong SAR, China

Using blended learning is a useful approach for promoting student learning since both traditional classroom and online learning environments have deficiencies as well as strengths. The conventional approach to assessment is based on assignments written at home and examinations — but how can one assess students’ performance when they work independently in cyberspace and teacher monitoring is limited?

This paper compares students’ performance on traditional assignments and online work in a computing course, ‘Database Systems’, in a Higher Diploma in Computing Studies (HDCS) programme. This course was chosen because the content relates to the design and analysis of database models where there are no definitive solutions for the problem scenarios. Also, as it is a third level course in a four-year HDCS programme, the students involved were appropriate for the study as they had the required computer knowledge and an acceptable level of self-learning and self-regulatory capability. Two similar assignments on system modelling were issued to students, the first requiring them to submit their final answers to the teacher in hard copy, while the second had to be posted to WebTL, an online environment provided by the College. The students were allowed to resubmit their answers to WebTL, with the teacher commenting on each submission. The purpose of the second assignment was to monitor students’ performance and learning progress. The students were informed that the assessment for the first assignment would be based on their final answers and for the second on their improvement in the revised versions of their work. This was followed by a test which combined written and online submission.

A questionnaire was distributed to students in the last week of the course lectures, and 11 responses were received. The findings indicated that the use of information technology enhances students’ interest in learning: they showed greater enthusiasm for completing online tasks and took the initiative more often in asking questions online. Students also responded positively to the teacher’s comments on their work which, they claimed, raised their level of interest and enhanced their progress. Most students felt they were more active in communicating with the teacher online than in a classroom environment. In addition, when their marks for the two assignments and the test were compared, it was found that the students had performed better in the online environment than in the ‘take-home’ assignments.

The results showed the value of adopting a blended approach in teaching and learning. Students can learn the basic knowledge in the classroom and work on assignments independently by searching for relevant information in the cyber world. Since many studies have suggested that assignments involving guided discovery are more appropriate in an online mode, our assessment strategy should be modified to take into account students’ progress in learning in completing their work. Overall, teachers and course developers should design course content and activities carefully in order to cater for different learning environments, and the assessment strategy should be adjusted to give an authentic reflection of students’ performance in terms of what they have learned and their progress in learning.