Using e-assessment to learn about learning

Analysis of student responses to interactive computer-marked questions has provided insight into specific student misconceptions and also to the identification of characteristic patterns of engagement with assignments and the feedback provided. The paper summarises and updates previously reported analyses of student usage of interactive computer-marked assessment at the UK Open University. It then considers the engagement of two different student populations on assignments known to be of similar difficulty. One group was found to be more likely than the other to attempt summative questions just before the due date, less likely to use the feedback provided and less likely to engage with a formative practice assignment, a factor associated with a lower score on the summative assignment. Reasons for the different engagement of the two groups are discussed