Different forms of assessment in computer science education and their correlation with grades.

An empirical study from the University of Stavanger

Abstract

Various studies have focused on the relationship between grades and the different forms of assessment used in higher education. To contribute to these discussions, in this article we have analysed the relationship between form of assessment and grade in computer science and electrical engineering courses at the University of Stavanger. These are common courses in modern universities, not only in Norway, and represent a combination of skill- and competence-oriented courses. As a basis for examining the differences between grades and forms of assessment, we focus on grade distributions. In addition, attention is also paid to the differences in the proportion of students with the best and the lowest grades, for different forms of assessment. We show that there is a difference between forms of assessment and average grade. Furthermore, the proportion of students with the best and the lowest grades is largely affected by the form of assessment.