Moodle-powered Integrated Performance Assessments (IPA) 

IPAs are assessments that take place during the semester, rather than only at the end. They can include presentations, written reports, projects, group work, and more.

Flexibility: IPAs can be combined with, or replace, final exams and can be pass/fail or graded.
Competence orientation: Ideally, they focus on real-world skills and the integration of knowledge, abilities, and attitudes.
Ongoing learning: IPAs support continuous learning, not just a final judgement.
Coordination: They require careful planning to balance student workload across courses.
This approach is rooted in the principle of constructive alignment, where learning objectives, activities, and assessments are all meaningfully linked to support learning. (Watch a video about constructive alignment).

Moodle and ETH’s digital ecosystem offer a range of features that make it easier for lecturers to design, deliver, and manage IPAs. Here are some of the most important:

1. Gradebook

• Centralised administration: The Gradebook allows lecturers to combine automated grades from Moodle-based assessments, as well as manual grades assigned after non-Moodle activities, such as excursions or presentations. (Read more about the gradebook).
• Efficient grading: All Moodle-based assessments such as assignments or quizzes are organised in the grade book reflecting the multi-component nature of IPAs.
• Custom weighting: Lecturers can set different weights for different assessment components, matching your module’s needs. (Read more about weighting).
• Transparency: Students can see their grades throughout the semester, not just at the end.

2. Assignment Activity

• Diverse submissions: The Assignment module supports the submission of a wide range of file formats (documents, presentations) matching the diversity of IPA.
• Workflow: Student submissions can be assigned to different graders, and the workflow supports the review of graders work prior to release to students.
• Group work: Assignments can be set up, with deadlines, for individuals or groups (which can be hidden from one another).
• Rubrics and marking guides: Attach rubrics to assignments for fair, transparent, and criterion-based assessment, as recommended in the ETH Zurich guidelines.
• Read more about the assignment activity.

3. Quiz Tool

• Versatile question types: The Moodle Quiz activity supports multiple-choice, short answer, essay, calculation, and even mathematics questions. (Detailed quiz information)
• Automatic grading: Automatic grading saves the lecturers’ time and instant feedback helps students learn from mistakes and track their progress.
• Randomisation: Randomised questions and answer orders help maintain academic integrity, especially in online settings.

4. Specialised quiz question types

• STACK: Enables automated assessment of mathematical or technical subjects, and questions allow for sophisticated, automated evaluation of mathematical expressions. (See ETH STACK examples)
• Cloze: Lecturers versed in HTML can create their own sophisticated questions. Read more.
• K-Prime: Students decide if an answer is true or false. It represents the didactic gold standard of scoring methods by awarding partial points and avoiding negative scoring.
• Single-Choice: Go beyond mere knowledge questions asking for the one best out of several possible, but clearly inferior answer options.

5. Jupyter Notebooks

• Interactive coding and data analysis: Jupyter Notebooks allow students to write and execute code, visualise data, and document their thought process, all in one place.
• Seamless integration: At ETH, Jupyter Notebooks can be integrated with Moodle for assignments, especially in data science, programming, and engineering courses.
• Auto-grading: With nbgrader, lecturers can automatically grade code submissions, provide inline feedback, and support reproducible research skills.
• Read more about how to get a Jupyter Notebook in your Moodle course.

6. Video Tools

• Rich Media Assignments: The integrated Kaltura activity enables students to submit video presentations, demonstrations, or reflections as part of their IPA. (Read more).
• Interactive Video Quizzes: Lecturers can embed questions directly into videos (or enable questions) using the tool IVS (Interactive video suite), making learning more engaging and assessing understanding in real time.

7. Completion Tracking

• Progress Monitoring: Completion tracking helps both students and lecturers keep an eye on progress through the various components of an IPA.
• Workload Coordination: Ensure students complete all required tasks and manage their workload effectively.
• Visual overview: Adding the progress bar block on the side enables a visual overview for both students and lecturers. (Read more about progress bar)
• Note: Completion tracking needs to be activated in the course settings and then adjusted for each individual activity. (Read more about completion tracking).

8. CodeExpert

• Real-time coding: CodeExpert is ETH’s cloud-based platform for programming exercises, supporting a wide range of languages and collaborative coding. (Read about CodeExpert)
• Integration with Moodle: Once created in Code Expert, the assignments can be linked directly in Moodle, allowing for seamless workflow and grade synchronisation. (Read how)
• Auto-Grading and Plagiarism Detection: Automatic evaluation of code and built-in plagiarism checks support fair and efficient assessment.
• Feedback and Analytics: Lecturers can provide targeted feedback and monitor student progress through detailed analytics.
• Click here for specific ETH CodeExpert examples.

Ideally, not only do students receive ample opportunity to practice the competencies they are going to be assessed on, but they also receive feedback on their progress. All the tools described in this blog can also be used to provide students with this feedback which supports motivation and growth. Effective feedback helps students understand where they stand, what they need to do next, and how to improve.

• Start simple: Begin with the Assignment module, quizzes and Gradebook to manage basic IPA components.
• Use rubrics: Rubrics make assessment criteria transparent and support fair grading. For examples of good use of rubrics, review these Refresh Teaching videos.
• Leverage Completion Tracking: Use this feature to communicate assessment deadlines and help students track their progress.
• Encourage feedback: Provide feedback throughout the semester, not just at the end.
• Later, explore additional digital tools: Try out Jupyter Notebooks, Kaltura, or Code Expert to diversify assessment and engage students.

Moving from final exams to integrated performance assessments can seem daunting, but Moodle and ETH Zurich’s digital tools make the transition manageable. By using features like Gradebook, Assignment, Quiz, STACK, Jupyter Notebooks, Kaltura, Code Expert, or completion tracking, lecturers can create assessments that truly support student learning throughout the semester.

Ready to try it out? Explore these features in your own Moodle course. Assessment is already important, let Moodle help you make it more efficient.