Classroom Assessment for Improved Learning: a case study in using e‐mail and involving students in preparing assignments

Abstract

It is often claimed that the active involvement of students in classroom assessment enhances both learning and personal satisfaction. This article reports two initiatives in classroom assessment. The first involves the use of e‐mail as a teaching and learning tool and the second involves engaging student groups in preparing their own assignments. These initiatives are explored in the context of a data communications subject offered to both undergraduate and postgraduate students at the School of Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering of Queensland University of Technology. Surveys were conducted to gain an insight into student attitudes to the use of e‐mail and to the way the assignment tasks and assessment methods influenced their learning. The results of these surveys are presented and discussed.