Certainty-Based Self-Assessment: A Chance for Enhanced Learning Engagement in Higher Education. An Experience at the University of Barcelona

In this exploratory study, we inquire about the potential of the certainty-based marking (CBM) strategy for the activation of metacognitive self-assessment processes by means of the questioning of the degrees of certitude comparing four different disciplinary areas in Higher Education: Primary Teacher Education, Secondary Teacher Education, Physio-psychology and Microeconomics. In all these areas, the instructors implement one same instructional design with a double diagnostic and formative purpose. Out of 1,325 enrolled students, 951 eventually participate in this first experience of certainty-based self-assessment responding to a 10-multiple-choice-item test with questions presented for (self-)diagnosis at the beginning of the semester for each course in the project. Results show significant yet small differences regarding three research variables: disciplinary area (psychology, economics, teacher education), educational level (either pre-graduate or post-graduate), and instructional value of the questions (prior formal knowledge versus prior informal knowledge). The most salient results refer to the degree of certitude in case of mistaken answer, which points to useless or pernicious knowledge. The area of economics, in particular, presents contrasting results with respect to a high degree of certainty.