Enhancement of Process Modelling and Simulation Evaluation by Deploying a Test for Assessment and Feedback Individualisation

This paper demonstrates a novel approach for a computer-based course assessment. A test is introduced in which computers are deployed. This significantly contributes to the enhancement of the marking consistency, individual performance distinction and feedbacks, and widen the questions range for computer-based modules. The proposed test method, for the first time, uses the simulation files marking for individualised evaluation purposes. The methodology has successfully been implemented in practice for three modules including Process Simulation (CE2105), Advanced Process Simulation (CE4023), and Process Computation (CE3021) at Aston University (UK) over three academic years, from 2016 to 2019. The effectiveness of the proposed approach has been evaluated using several factors, including final marks, consistency multiple academic years, and mark distribution. In contrast to the common teamwork assessments, individualised feedback became possible. While ASPEN has been used for CE4023 and CE2105 tests, MATLAB has been applied as the computation platform for CE3021 module. This reveals the applicability of different software in proposed methodology. The number of students in the cohorts studied was from 52 to 204, demonstrating the applicability of the method for various cohort sizes. Even though the methodology has been demonstrated based on the chemical engineering discipline modules, it allows digitalising the delivery and assessment of a wide range of simulation techniques in many disciplines.