Development of a placement exam to increase student success in a junior level circuits and systems class

In this work, which is intended to be a Full Paper in the Innovative Practice Category, the implementation of an improved placement exam that increased the pass rate in a junior level systems course in the author’s electrical engineering department by 15% is presented. For almost 30 years the author’s EE department has used a face to face exam to place students in a junior level circuits and systems course or into a review workshop. The details of the exam and suggestions about future use in conjunction MyOpenMath analytics to increase student success are also given.

[1]  S. Devadoss,et al.  Evaluation of Factors Influencing Student Class Attendance and Performance , 1996 .

[2]  Phillip K. Wong,et al.  Assessment of student preparedness for freshman engineering courses through assessment of math background , 2014, 2014 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) Proceedings.

[3]  G. M. Ramirez Supplemental Instruction: The Long-Term Impact. , 1997 .

[4]  B. J. Skromme,et al.  Impact of step-based tutoring on student learning in linear circuit courses , 2016, 2016 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE).

[5]  Douglas J. Lamdin Evidence of Student Attendance as an Independent Variable in Education Production Functions. , 1996 .

[6]  V. Fayowski,et al.  An evaluation of the Supplemental Instruction programme in a first year calculus course , 2008 .

[7]  Filip Radlinski,et al.  Online Study Behavior of 100,000 Students Preparing for the SAT, ACT, and GRE , 2004 .

[8]  Judith Scott-Clayton,et al.  Do High-Stakes Placement Exams Predict College Success? , 2012 .

[9]  Kristen B. Wendell,et al.  A case study of students' engagement in a control systems homework problem , 2016, 2016 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE).

[10]  Christina DeJong,et al.  Using GRE scores and prior GPA to predict academic performance among criminal justice graduate students , 2005 .

[11]  Federick J. Ngo,et al.  Using Multiple Measures to Make Math Placement Decisions: Implications for Access and Success in Community Colleges , 2015 .

[12]  Marianne Johnson,et al.  Basic Math Skills and Performance in an Introductory Economics Class , 2004 .

[13]  Robert W. Lent,et al.  Social cognitive predictors of college students’ academic performance and persistence: A meta-analytic path analysis , 2008 .

[14]  D. Romer,et al.  Do Students Go to Class? Should They? , 1993 .

[15]  David W. Parent Novel gateway stay/add policy used to increase student success rates in an introductory circuits class , 2017, 2017 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE).

[16]  Ning Fang,et al.  Work in progress - a decision tree approach to predicting student performance in a high-enrollment, high-impact, and core engineering course , 2009, 2009 39th IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference.

[17]  M. Reisslein,et al.  WIP: Effectiveness of Worked Examples and Fading in Introductory Electrical Circuit Analysis for Learners of Different Ability Levels , 2005, Proceedings Frontiers in Education 35th Annual Conference.

[18]  Larry V. Ellis,et al.  The Effects of Attendance on Student Learning in Principles of Economics , 1995 .

[19]  B. Zimmerman,et al.  Work Habits and Self-Regulated Learning: Helping Students to Find a “Will” from a “Way” , 2012 .