Two online tests worth 10% each are important progressive assessment items for ACCT1101 students. The tests are randomised for each students with each test being drawn from question pools written by teaching staff and based on the decision-making framework introduced in the course. The tests are accessed via Blackboard and consist of 15 multi-answer and quantitative style questions. The tests open for access by students on pre-announced dates and remain open for 2 days. Students get two chances at each test with their best result recorded. Once students have opened their exam, they have 60 minutes to complete it.
Details
- CLASS SIZE
- 500+
- CLASS LEVEL
- First year
- ASSESSMENT SECURITY
- Low security
- TIME REQUIREMENTS
- Medium time
- CONDITIONS
- Sequence, Time limited
- FEATURES
- Online
- TAGS
- technology enriched learning, staged, quiz
Advantages
1. The online tests support progressive learning and reduce incentives for students to cram for a written exam.
2. Exam anxiety is greatly reduced as students can take the online tests at a convenient time and location.
3. The tests are marked automatically and marks are available to students as soon as they complete a test.
Challenges
1. Developing pools of questions is initially quite time consuming.
2. Verification of student identity is problematic.
3. The question pools need to be tweaked/refreshed each semester.
Tips for implementation
The online tests have been successful in this large first year course but may be less so in a smaller course or in a different discipline.
How it supports academic integrity
The tests are written in pools and many are algorithmic. Blackboard randomises each test such that every student receives a unique set of questions. Students are given two attempts at each test and these are also randomised so that the second attempt is also a new set of randomised questions. Students have 60 minutes to complete each test once opened so there are few incentives for students to copy and share specific questions.
Associate Professor Julie Walker
j.walker@business.uq.edu.au
Associate Professor Julie Walker is a member of the accounting discipline group at the University of Queensland Business School, where she teaches and researches in the area of financial accounting and governance.
Julie has over 25 years' experience as an accounting academic and is recognised as an excellent teacher, being the recipient of a School teaching award in 2007, the Unijobs Lecturer of the Year award 2008 and a University of Qld Commendation for Teaching Excellence in 2010. In 2015 Julie led the BEL-ITaLI Strategic Priority Project on Blended Learning in first year business courses which involved a complete rebuild of the large first year course, ACCT1101 Accounting for Decision Making. Julie's research interests focus on disclosure and governance choices by corporations, and especially the impact and effectiveness of regulatory reforms on those choices. Most recently, she has become interested in the continuing furore surrounding executive pay and has a number of working and published papers in the area, including publications in The Australian Journal of Management, Accounting and Finance, Australian Accounting Review and The Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics. Julie has strong links with accounting higher and professional education. Julie was program director for the Bachelor of Commerce and Masters of Commerce programs at UQ from 2008 to 2012. She is currently chair of the Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand Education Board and previously chaired the member advisory panel for the Financial Reporting module of the CA program. She is on TEQSA's register of experts and previously served as a member of the ALTC Accounting Learning Outcomes Working Party to develop threshold learning outcomes for Australian bachelors and masters programs in accounting. Find out more