Title :
Development of a multiple-choice MATLAB theory and syntax exam
Author :
Verleger, Matthew A.
Author_Institution :
Freshman Eng., Embry-Riddle Aeronaut. Univ., Daytona Beach, FL, USA
Abstract :
Examinations in programming courses that require students to write code to solve a problem are an excellent method for testing how well a student has mastered language syntax, programming theory, and problem solving technique. However, if a student struggles with problem solving, it is often difficult for students to demonstrate any understanding of syntax or theory. To address this situation, faculty for a freshman engineering MATLAB-focused introductory programming course at a private southeastern STEM+Business-only university have been giving exams that are a combination of practical programming problems and multiple-choice questions. This research is focused on performing an item analysis of the questions appearing on those exams with the immediate goal being a multiple-choice exam with both topic coverage and documentation of it´s ability to properly discriminate knowledge.
Keywords :
computer science education; educational administrative data processing; educational courses; educational institutions; mathematics computing; STEM+business-only university; documentation; examinations; freshman engineering MATLAB-focused introductory programming course; item analysis; language syntax; multiple-choice MATLAB theory; multiple-choice exam; multiple-choice questions; practical programming problems; problem solving technique; programming theory; syntax exam; topic coverage; Educational institutions; Indexes; MATLAB; Problem-solving; Programming; Syntactics; Testing; Exam; Item Analysis; MATLAB; Multiple Choice;
Conference_Titel :
Frontiers in Education Conference, 2013 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Oklahoma City, OK
DOI :
10.1109/FIE.2013.6684843