Practical Work with Report
This page describes an implementation of an assessment method by a lecturer or group of lecturers. The content of the page is the result of an interview conducted through the RAFT project in DIT in the 2013-14 Academic Year.
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Lecturer and Contact Detials
Programme and year on which assessment was offered
Description
Develop a solution to a robotics challenge and write a short report about it.
What have you found are the advantages of using this form of assessment?
- Students had a blank slate on which they could develop a solution to a robotics problem.
- Fun competitive aspect in which students competed in a robotics competition.
- Connects classroom work to the bigger practice and research communities.
What have you found are the dis-advantages of using this form of assessment?
- Flexibility was a challenge for some students.
- There was a considerable mechanical engineering aspect, albeit in Lego, to the assignment (building a robot) that didn’t necessarily align with the content of the module (primarily software).
- Some issues associated with group work.
Alternatives
Essay type assessments can be separated into collection /review of relevant resources, development of plan/schedule/synopsis of proposed work, concept map/flow chart of work in progress, executive summaries, bibliographies etc
Assessment in Practice
- Not suitable for very large classes due to the need for building physical robots.
- Ideal for group work.
Assessment Time
- Preparation time: ~16 hours
- Student time to complete: ~25 hours
- Marking time: ~10 hours
- Ease of Feedback: Written feedback to each group and immediate feedback from their performance in the competition.
