Partially-automated individualised assessment of higher education mathematics

A partially-automated method of assessment is proposed, in which automated question setting is used to generate individualised versions of a coursework assignment, which is completed by students and marked by hand. This is designed to be (a) comparable to a traditional written coursework assignment in validity, in that complex and open-ended tasks can be set with diverse submission formats that would not be suitable for written examination or automated marking; and, (b) comparable to e-assessment in terms of reduction of academic misconduct, with individualisation acting as a barrier to copying and collusion. This method of assessment is implemented in practice. Evaluation focuses on expert second-marking, student feedback and analysis of marks, and aims to establish that the partially-automated method can be useful in practice. The partially-automated method proposed appears to be capable of adapting a coursework assignment to make it less sensitive to copying and collusion (and therefore more reliable) while maintaining its validity, though leading to reduced efficiency for the marker. This paper therefore contributes the introduction of a novel approach to assessment which offers a way to bring automated individualisation to the assessment of higher order skills in higher education mathematics.