2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In recent years, the growing popularity of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can be attributed to their exceptional accessibility. While MOOCs offer valuable educational opportunities, they also present challenges with regard to instructional effectiveness. A notable challenge concerns the design of final assessments. Conventional final assessments include cumulative content from the entire course, a practice known to induce testing fatigue and potentially misrepresent students' true performance. Research findings indicate that dividing the final assessment into smaller assessments, each focused on a specific topic, may offer a more accurate evaluation of student performance.

This study centers on evaluating the effectiveness of modifying the assessment structure for an introductory rocketry course to accurately assess student knowledge. Past investigations have explored the impact of hands-on content on students' technical knowledge, self-confidence, and overall interest in space. Findings demonstrated an increase in students' self-confidence following engagement with online materials and hands-on activities. Yet there were indications of a decrease in technical knowledge possibly due to assessment fatigue. In contrast to previous research, which assessed participants through a single comprehensive evaluation, this study breaks down the final assessment into discrete components that students complete within the concluding week of the course. Each assessment centers on a distinct rocketry-related topic, with the intent of mitigating assessment fatigue and enabling students to concentrate on one subject at a time.

In this study, a survey was conducted with early-college students majoring in STEM fields, with the exception of aerospace engineering. Participants first complete an online component, which includes: 1) gaining knowledge about model rocket components and hardware; 2) making predictions about rocket dynamics with applied design elements; and 3) taking a series of quizzes, exams, and surveys. Once the online component is complete, participants are provided with a model rocket kit that they are instructed to assemble and launch. Data from the launch is then analyzed and compared. In addition to weekly unit quizzes to test their technical knowledge, participants also complete self-efficacy and interest assessments prior to and after the course.

The results of this study confirm previous findings, which indicate that the self-efficacy questionnaires reveal an increase in participant confidence and their ability to perform technical tasks. Survey results consistently indicate an increase in interest and attraction towards space-related careers. The results continue to show that hands-on kits are both beneficial in enhancing and enriching the online learning experience. The adjusted assessment structure indicates a positive trend in participants' technical knowledge.