Assessment of Cognitive Skills: Hebdomadal Challenge Tests as a Digital Pedagogical Tool

Abstract

This research investigates the effectiveness of Hebdomadal Challenge Tests (HCT) as a pedagogical tool to enhance cognitive skills in a 10-week classroom study. The study consists of two distinct phases: a five-week baseline period without any HCT, followed by five weeks of HCT aligned with lecture topics. Pre-intervention and post-intervention summative assessments were conducted to measure the effects of the HCT on student learning outcomes, including comprehension, critical thinking, numeracy skills, and application of knowledge in computing-based applications. Due to the abnormality of the data, a non-parametric test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test was conducted and employed to identify the significant differences in performance between the pre-intervention and post-intervention scores. R scripts were deployed to perform the analysis. The findings indicate that the incorporation of HCT influenced significantly on certain students’ learning outcomes. Students demonstrated an improvement performance in the post-intervention summative assessment compared to their pre-intervention scores. These results suggest that the regular implementation of HCT aligned with lecture topics facilitated a deeper understanding and retention of the subject matter. The inclusion of regular challenge tests as a pedagogical tool actively engaged students, promoted continuous learning, and reinforced key concepts, preparing them for upcoming assessments. In conclusion, this research highlights the positive impact of HCT on student learning outcomes. By incorporating regular assessments that encourage critical thinking and problem-solving skills, educators can create a more comprehensive and meaningful learning experience. Further investigation and implementation of similar assessment strategies are encouraged to optimize learning outcomes.