Exploring Challenges of Assessing Students’ Errors in Engineering Problem Solving; a Thematic Analysis

Through a thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses, we explore the challenges assessors face during assessment (summative evaluation and formative feedback) of students’ work. The assessors were primed by asking them to mark solutions to closed-ended engineering problems typical in introductory Electrical and Civil engineering courses. The subsequent survey asked the assessors to reflect on their experience. The analysis of the thematic frequency count is presented and discussed in this paper. The data suggests that from the perspective of assessors, current assessment practices need improvement. In particular, it appears that summative evaluation is seen as the primary goal and feedback is given as time allows. However, the participants also identified insufficient time as a challenge, which may further diminish feedback.