Formative and Summative Assessment in Veterinary Pathology and Other Courses at a Mexican Veterinary College

Abstract

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) uses the Moodle learning management system for formative and summative computer assessment. The authors of this article-the teacher primarily responsible for Moodle implementation and a researcher who is a recent Moodle adopter-describe and discuss the students' and teachers' attitudes to summative and formative computer assessment in Moodle. Item analysis of quiz results helped us to identify and fix poorly performing questions, which greatly reduced student complaints and improved objective assessment. The use of certainty-based marking (CBM) in formative assessment in veterinary pathology was well received by the students and should be extended to more courses. The importance of having proficient computer support personnel should not be underestimated. A properly translated language pack is essential for the use of Moodle in a language other than English.

Keywords: CBM; Moodle; assessment; certainty-based marking; computers; pathology.