Enhancing Assessment Practices in Large Physics Courses

Large introductory physics courses at UT Austin typically rely on multiple-choice exams due to logistical constraints, including high enrollments and limited teaching assistant (TA) support. While recent instructional reforms have focused on student-centered pedagogies, assessment practices have lagged behind, limiting the alignment between how students are taught and how their learning is evaluated. This project addressed that gap by developing and integrating new assessment structures that preserve the efficiency of multiple-choice formats while supporting deeper learning and more varied expressions of student understanding.

Through a partnership with the College of Natural Sciences’ online homework and exam platform, Quest, the project created and piloted new question types suitable for both digital and paper-based exams. Supporting infrastructure, such as updated printing and scanning processes, was also developed to enable scalable implementation and to meet instructor needs in the moment during the project. In addition, the project built a library of new assessment content for use across multiple physics courses and introduced a student-facing system of extension tokens to promote flexibility in homework and learning module deadlines. Together, these innovations enhanced assessment capabilities while preserving the logistical feasibility critical to large-scale instruction.