Early Warning System with Formative Feedback to Support Engineering Students in Electromagnetism

Early Warning Systems (EWS) in education have been used to identify students at risk of dropping out based on historical data. Using this technology with pedagogically based support actions could help students in their individual learning. In this study we used an EWS in combination with formative feedback to guide students on their learning. Based on achievement indicators, students received targeted feedback every fifteen days. Data from this experience show statistically significant improvements in final grades and problem solving participation among students who received feedback. This paper makes the following contributions: a) describes the design and implementation of an EWS that connects student achievement indicators with personalized feedback, b) presents pedagogical and research based criteria to develop formative feedback in an Electromagnetism course, c) offers preliminary results of the experience.