Development and Evaluation of a Formative-Feedback System Using Automatic Classification of Free-Form Assignments in Online Classes

Abstract

In online classes, it is important to facilitate learning so that students can engage in learning proactively by promoting them to understand learning contents and to grasp their learning status. One possible method for this is to provide formative feedback according to learning status. However, it is not easy to provide formative feedback by identifying gaps in students’ learning status in relation to lesson goals or evaluation criteria. The purpose of this study was to facilitate student learning in online classes. We focused on free-form assignments and developed a system that uses supervised learning to classify reports by learning status and provides formative feedback based on classification results. Evaluation results showed that the system could grasp the level of free-form assignments submitted by students to some degree. And it was suggested that providing formative feedback could facilitate students to reconsider how they approach assignments and engage in learning proactively.