2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This research paper illuminates the different contexts elicited by seven instructors who taught fundamental engineering courses when discussing their test usage beliefs and behaviors. Tests and exams are typically heavily used in fundamental engineering courses like statics, dynamics, thermodynamics, and other courses in various engineering disciplines. Understanding why engineering instructors heavily rely on tests to assess student learning in these courses is crucial in promoting use of more diverse types of assessments (portfolios, concept inventory, reflection-based practices, project-based practices, to name a few) and intentionality in terms of designing, administering, and interpreting tests. Conversations around why instructors make certain course decisions typically involve the contexts these instructors are situated in, emphasizing how important contexts are in terms of influencing decision-making in these courses. Illuminating some of these contexts can be helpful to further understand instructors’ beliefs and behaviors in course decision-making, specifically on heavily using tests in fundamental courses. We answered the research question: What are some notable contexts that influence instructors’ beliefs and behaviors to heavily use tests in their fundamental engineering courses? The data are collected as part of a larger multi-case study that explores test usage beliefs and behaviors of seven individual engineering instructors (seven cases). Multiple sources of data and evidence triangulate to shape the case profiles for these seven instructors, with contexts emerged as an important element of these profiles.
Our findings show several key contexts discussed substantially by some of these seven instructors, though not all instructors discussed the same contexts. These contexts include the influence of inertia and peer pressure to continue using tests heavily and the need to assess individual student learning in courses with large enrollment classes, and limited autonomy for some instructors to make changes to assessment in the courses. These contexts show some intertwining characteristics to influence test usage among the participants. In addition, our findings support existing literature on inertia and course context and prominent contexts to influence course decision making, and this paper focuses on the heavy test usage as a form of course design decision.

Keywords: Test, exam, instructor, context, beliefs, behaviors