Education research: introductory astronomy midterm statistics

Cuesta College Astronomy 210 (introductory astronomy lecture) students take their second midterm on spectra, stars, galaxies and cosmology in the fourteenth/fifteenth week of instruction.

The midterm consists of ten multiple-choice questions (with partial credit for multiple-choice), and three short-answer questions (graded with a standardized rubric), to be completed within 80 minutes (the length of a regularly-scheduled lecture).

Grading statistics:

Cuesta College
Astronomy 210 Fall Semester 2010 section 70158
Midterm 2 results (N = 46, max score = 100):
   0- 20.0 :   
20.5- 40.0 : ***  [low = 23.5]
40.5- 60.0 : ************
60.5- 80.0 : ***************  [mean = 69.2 +/- 20.2]
80.5-100.0 : ****************  [high = 100.0]

The order in which students turned in their completed midterms was recorded, beginning approximately 10 minutes after starting, to 70 minutes after starting. With a linear regression r^2 value of 0.0395, there is no significant correlation between the time spent working on the midterm and resulting score (y = 0.299x + 62.181).



Grading statistics:

Cuesta College
Astronomy 210 Fall Semester 2010 section 70160
Midterm 2 results (N = 41*, max score = 100):
    0- 20.0 :   
20.5- 40.0 : *****  [low = 28.5]
40.5- 60.0 : ********
60.5- 80.0 : ******************  [mean = 66.8 +/- 19.3]
80.5-100.0 : **********  [high = 96.5]

*Two students were excluded from the linear regression, due to taking the midterms outside of the normal time allotted for the rest of the class (and thus were not ordered). With a linear regression r^2 value of 0.0796, there is no significant correlation between the time spent working on the midterm and resulting score (y = 0.473x + 56.271).