Wiris Quizzes: An automatic and self-study tool for online mathematics: The teaching experience in engineering courses at Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

In online engineering studies, the monitoring of the learning process as well as the assessment system are key aspects of teaching strategy. This paper examines an interactive continuous assessment system. It is based on three Wiris Quizzes taken over the semester in a Mathematical Analysis class at the Open University of Catalonia. These tests, with parameterized statements, are completed in the Moodle environment with the symbolic calculator program Wiris (www.wiris.com). The results of the teaching experience in a virtual classroom with 65 students and the comparison with earlier semesters are clearly positive: (a) the number of students who follow continuous assessment remains stable; (b) The distribution of continuous assessment marks increases considerably; (c) the number of students who fail has been reduced significantly, and (d) the satisfaction level of students regarding the subject, its contents and resources has improved notably.