USING MICRO-VIDEO PROJECTS IN LARGE ENGINEERING CLASSES TO DIFFERENTIATE ASSESSMENT

A new assessment tool is introduced that uses one minute long, individual micro-video presentations to give students an opportunity to demonstrate mastery of specific engineering concepts orally instead of in the typical written form. The short time-frame of the videos requires students to think critically about the concept and to explain it concisely. It also reduces assessment time, allowing teaching assistants to grade it quickly, even in a large class. Three micro-video projects were implemented in a third year and fourth year civil engineering course at Carleton University with 180 and 96 students, respectively. The format of the micro-video tool is discussed in detail, including the assessment rubric that was used. Three anonymous elective student surveys were conducted at different stages to solicit student opinions. Students generally thought that the micro-video assignment was valuable, enjoyable, and provided a fair evaluation of their understanding.