Using DEWIS and R for multi-staged statistics e-Assessments

Rhys Gwynllyw, D.; Weir, Iain S.; Henderson, Karen L.; Gwynllyw, Rhys; Weir, Iain; Henderson, Karen

Abstract

© The Author 2015. We demonstrate how the DEWIS e-Assessment system may use embedded R code to facilitate the assessment of students' ability to perform involved statistical analyses. The R code has been written to emulate SPSS output and thus the statistical results for each bespoke data set can be generated efficiently and accurately using standard R routines. This enables students' answers, generated from their application of SPSS, to be marked and appropriate feedback supplied back to them automatically. Staging is used between different parts of the e-Assessment to replicate the natural stages of a complete statistical analysis. This allows students the freedom to work away from the e-Assessment; they may view the relevant stage an unlimited number of times prior to submitting their answers for that stage. The technical challenges of setting up the e-Assessment in this way are discussed as well as the rationale for adopting this pioneering approach.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 13, 2015
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Nov 30, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 29, 2016
• Journal: Teaching Mathematics and its Applications
• Print ISSN: 0268-3679
• Electronic ISSN: 1471-6976
• Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 14-26
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrv018
• Keywords: e-assessment, R, staged assessments, DEWIS, statistics, SPSS
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/904410
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrv018
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Teaching Mathematics and its Applications following peer review. The version of record [D. Rhys Gwynllyw, Iain S. Weir, and Karen L. Henderson. Using DEWIS and R for multi-staged statistics e-Assessments. Teaching Mathematics Applications. First published online December 29, 2015 doi:10.1093/teamat/hrv018] is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/teamat/hrv018
• Contract Date: Apr 7, 2016