This document describes the assessment elements used in a Principles of Economics module, including weekly quizzes, two online tests, a case study, and tutorial participation. The quizzes contribute to the final grade if completed within a week of the material being presented, and also give students access to lecture notes and tutorial answers. The tests include multiple choice and true/false questions covering all chapters. The author has published papers arguing that this continuous assessment scheme using an online gradebook can help induce regular revisions in students' learning process.

1. The Moodle Gradebook
as a tool inducing regular revisions
in students' learning process.
Piotr Marek Jaworski
Edinburgh Napier University
The Business School
Moodlemoot Edinburgh 2014
Tuesday 15th April - Edinburgh Corn Exchange

2. Principles of Economics Module
• First year undergraduate summer trimester module
presenting basic economic concepts of micro-
and macroeconomics.
• Consisting of ten units of material involving
2h lecture and 1 hour tutorial
• Addressed to all Business School students, who would
like to gain elementary economic knowledge.
• Average semester enrolment: 250 students.

3. Elements of Assessment
• Quizzes:
– 10 to be done every week;
– Every quiz worth max 1% with 10% of total share
in the final mark if done within a week
after the material presentation
• Two invigilated on-line the tests
– 25% for each test with 50% of total share in the final mark
• A case
– with 50% of total share in the final mark
• Tutorials’ participation
– with 30% of total share in the final mark
• Detailed description of rationale behind the assessment:
– Jaworski, P. M. (2009). Regular Revision Stupid! The Retention of
Knowledge after the End of Module Delivery. Journal Advances in
Higher Education, 2(1).
– Jaworski, P. M. (2009). Let us teach the way we preach: using economic
concepts in IT-assisted continuous assessment scheme for introductory
economics module. Journal Advances in Higher Education, 3(1).

4. The Quizzes
• Every quiz consists of 10 closed multiple choice
questions drawn out of 10 sets of on average
70 questions.
• The quizzes serve three roles:
– Contribute towards the final mark if done within
a week of material presentation,
– Give access to lecture notes for next topic and model answers
for current topic tutorial questions,
– Provide opportunity to prepare for the tests.
• The attempts are limited to 10 minutes
and 4 attempts in the first week.

5. The Tests
• The test consist of 35 questions:
– 25 are closed multiple choice questions drawn out
of the same sets as for quizzes’
• 5 for every chapter
• worth only a half of true/fall questions.
– 10 are new true/false questions, not released before
• 2 for every chapter
• worth twice more than questions known before.
• The time to do it is 20 minutes for all except
for dyslectic students who are allowed
for extra 10 minutes.

6. Problem:
In the gradebook
students are not able
to see the mark
for graded quiz
when it is hidden.

8. Calculation of Week X Grade:
Maximum of:
Week X lecture and Week Xa lecture.

12. Conclusions:
• The design of the assessment regime must be first
carefully thought through with assessment goals
clearly defined.
• Only after such design stage it could be translated
into technical structure within any IT platform.
• The IT platform limits considerably possibilities
of design or make the technical structure unclear
and complicated.
• Promised and actual Options are sometime totally
divergent!

13. Questions?